Yum! Brands has done remarkably well in the battle to win Chinese hearts and bellies, but some investors are now wondering whether the fast-food giant is faltering. Fears that Chinese tastes may be shifting away from Yum's KFC and Pizza Hut chains have hobbled the company's shares. Yum earned $216 million on global sales of $3.36 billion in the fourth quarter, with China revenue up by 8%. Sales at Chinese outlets that have been open for more than a year, though, were off for a third consecutive quarter, dropping 3%. Jitters about what Deutsche Bank describes as "stubbornly weak sales in China" helped send Yum stock down more than 6% in the two days after the company announced its results on Feb. 3.
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