NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -
Washington Post Co. said Friday its fourth-quarter profit jumped compared to a year earlier, but added that it still saw declines in its magazine operations.
No. 1 U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin reported a higher fourth-quarter operating profit that topped analysts estimates due to strong performance of its satellite and jet divisions.
Raytheon, the No. 4 defense contractor, said its fourth-quarter operating profit rose from a year earlier on increased sales of electronic systems to the U.S. Navy.
Companies in this roundup
AEP; AmerisourceBergen; Archer-Daniels;
CMS; FPL; Lockheed Martin;
Peoples Energy; Raytheon; Stanley Works;
UST; Washington Post
Check out CNN/Money's earnings scorecard
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Lockheed Martin
BETHESDA, Md. (Reuters) --The largest U.S. defense contractor reported a higher quarterly profit on strong results from its space systems and fighter jet units.
The company, which makes the F-22 Joint Strike Fighter, said fourth-quarter earnings rose to 85 cents a share, before one-time items, from 67 cents a share a year earlier. Sales rose to $7.8 billion from $7.3 billion. Wall Street analysts had expected a profit of 78 cents to 85 cents per share before one-time items, with an average estimate of 81 cents, according to research firm First Call.
Including nonrecurring items, Lockheed (LMT: Research, Estimates) reported a net loss of 77 cents a share, compared with a loss of $3.49 per share a year earlier when the company took more than $1 billion in charges to exit the telecommunications business.
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Washington Post
WASHINGTON (Reuters) --The publisher posted a stronger fourth-quarter profit driven by its television and education units, but its newspaper and magazine operations were hit by soft advertising.
The company (WPO: Research, Estimates), which in addition to its namesake newspaper owns Newsweek magazine, said its profit rose to $93.7 million, or $9.83 per share, compared with $14.5 million, or $1.53 per share a year earlier. Excluding a one-tme gain, the company earned $8.08 share, which is above analysts' estimates of $7.47, according to First Call.
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Raytheon
LEXINGTON, Mass. (Reuters) --The maker of the Tomahawk and Patriot missiles said its quarterly profit from continuing operations rose on an increase in sales of electronic systems to the Navy.
Raytheon, which is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for accounting practices at its struggling aircraft unit, said it earned $155 million, or 38 cents per share, in the fourth quarter before one-time items. This compares with a profit of $64 million, or 17 cents per share, a year earlier. Sales rose to $4.7 billion from $4.4 billion.
Analysts had expected earnings of 60 cents to 68 cents a share before special items, with an average estimate of 65 cents, according to First Call. Including nonrecurring items and other charges, Raytheon (RTN: Research, Estimates) reported a net loss $15 million, or 4 cents a share. Last year's net loss in the fourth quarter was $162 million, or 42 cents a share.
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Archer-Daniels-Midland
CHICAGO (Reuters) --The agricultural firm said quarterly earnings fell as profit from its soybean processing operations suffered from poor margins.
ADM, one of the world's largest processors of soybeans, corn, wheat and cocoa, said earnings in its fiscal second quarter ended Dec. 31 dropped to $131.2 million, or 20 cents per share, from $150 million, or 23 cents a share, a year earlier. Sales and other operating income rose 43 percent to $7.81 billion.
Excluding a 2-cent-a-share gain from a legal settlement, ADM profit would have been 18 cents a share. Decatur, Ill.-based ADM (ADM: Research, Estimates) was expected to earn 16 cents to 19 cents a share in the quarter, with an average of 18 cents, according to First Call.
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Stanley Works
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (Reuters)--The toolmaker said its profit before one-time items fell sharply in the fourth quarter, weighed down by productivity problems in its hand tools and fasteners businesses.
Excluding one-time charges, Stanley Works (SWK: Research, Estimates) reported earnings of 42 cents per share, down from 57 cents last year. According to Thomson First Call, analysts' average estimate was 42 cents. Before Stanley issued an earnings warning last week, the analysts' average estimate was 56 cents. Stanley said net income was $21.9 million, or 25 cents per share, up from $6.5 million, or 7 cents per share, a year earlier.
The New Britain, Connecticut-based company said it still expects first-quarter earnings of 44 cents to 46 cents per share, and expects earnings growth in the low double-digit range for the full year.
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AmerisourceBergen
VALLEY FORGE, Pa. (Reuters) -- The drug wholesaler said Friday its quarterly earnings rose 37 percent from increased demand for prescription drugs. For the fiscal first quarter, ended Dec. 31, net income rose to $92.7 million, or 84 cents per share, from $67.9 million, or 63 cents per share, a year earlier. Last year's earnings per share before unusual items totaled 67 cents for the quarter.
Analysts had been looking for AmerisourceBergen (ABC: Research, Estimates) to earn between 80 and 84 cents per share, with a mean estimate of 82 cents, according to First Call. Operating revenue, which excludes bulk deliveries to customer warehouses, increased 15 percent to $11.1 billion for the quarter from $9.7 billion a year ago. Total revenue including bulk deliveries increased to $12.4 billion in the quarter from $11.07 billion.
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UST
GREENWICH, Conn. (Reuters) --The top U.S. maker of moist smokeless tobacco posted a quarterly loss, dragged down by a $1.3 billion judgment against the company in an antitrust case. UST (UST: Research, Estimates) posted a loss of $642.6 million, or $3.82 per share, in the fourth quarter, compared with a profit of $137.5 million, or 82 cents per share, a year earlier.
UST (UST: Research, Estimates) said that on an underlying basis it would have earned $133.2 million, or 79 cents per share, in the quarter. Analysts expected the company, which also makes wine and cigars, would earn 76 cents-to-77 cents per share, with a mean target of 77 cents, according to First Call. Sales fell 2.6 percent to $424 million.
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FPL
JUNO BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) -- The power company said its fourth-quarter profit rose 9 percent as its utility and power production units posted strong results. The Juno Beach, Fla.-based company reported net income of $129 million, or 73 cents a share, up from $118 million, or 70 cents a share, in the year-ago quarter.
Excluding special items, the company posted earnings per share of 75 cents. On that basis, analysts had forecast 65 cents-to-75 cents, with a consensus estimate of 71 cents, according to research firm First Call. FPL (FPL: Research, Estimates), which operates the Florida Power & Light utility, said operating revenue rose to $2.03 billion from $1.80 billion in the prior-year quarter.
The company affirmed its 2003 earnings per share target of $4.80-to-$5, which compares with a First Call average estimate of $4.88. It forecast earnings growth for the year at Florida Power & Light of 4 percent-to-5 percent.
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AEP
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) -- The utility swung to a big loss in the fourth quarter due to more than $1 billion in write-downs, and said it will cut 5 percent of its work force to reduce costs. As part of the plan to lower costs and strengthen its balance sheet, Columbus, Ohio-based AEP (AEP: Research, Estimates) said management has recommended a 40 percent dividend cut to 35 cents a share starting in the second quarter and has decided to sell non-core assets.
The company reported a fourth-quarter net loss of $837 million, or $2.47 a share, compared with net income of $51.9 million, or 16 cents a share, in the year-ago quarter. Excluding special items, the company posted earnings per share of 52 cents. On that basis, analysts' forecast earnings ranged from 42 cents to 64 cents a share, with an average estimate of 55 cents a share, according to First Call. Revenue rose to $3.8 billion from $2.9 billion in the prior-year quarter.
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Peoples Energy
CHICAGO (Reuters) --The parent company of two Midwestern natural gas utilities reported a flat fiscal first-quarter profit, hurt by a reduction in pension credits and an increase in the provision for uncollectible accounts. The company, based in Chicago, reported net income of $31 million, or 87 cents a share, for the fiscal first quarter, matching the same figures a year earlier.
Wall Street analysts had expected the company to report a profit of between 85 cents a share and 90 cents a share, with a mean forecast of 87 cents a share, according to First Call. Operating revenue rose to $549.1 million from $377.5 million in the prior-year quarter.
Peoples (PGL: Research, Estimates) also reaffirmed its 2003 earnings per share forecast of $2.70 to $2.80 a share, which compares with the First Call consensus estimate of $2.77 a share. The company said the 2003 results will be helped by colder weather than 2002, though at the same time they will be hurt by higher bad debt expense and a reduction of 35 cents to 40 cents a share in pension credits.
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CMS
DEARBORN, Mich. (Reuters) --The utility company said it has suspended its dividend to retain cash and will report a large loss for 2002 due to asset write-downs.
CMS (CMS: Research, Estimates), which has been under investigation for suspect power-trading practices, expects to report a loss of $4.25 to $4.75 per share for 2002. Excluding one-time items, it expects a profit of $1.50 to $1.55 per share, consistent with its previous estimates.
Suspension of the dividend, which had amounted to 72 cents per share on an annual basis, will boost the company's liquidity by more than $100 million in 2003, it said.
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