Earnings News

MINNEAPOLIS - Paint and coatings maker Valspar Corp. said Monday its fiscal fourth-quarter profit climbed as the company trimmed the cost of sales and research and development expenses.

NORWOOD, Mass. - Chipmaker Analog Devices Inc. said Monday its net income fell 27 percent in the fiscal fourth quarter, as demand declined for semiconductors in its industrial and communications business.

Among the earnings stories for Monday, Nov. 23, from AP Financial News:

MILWAUKEE - Tyson Foods Inc. said it made strides in the meat business this year and predicts more improvements next year, but analysts worry the company's all-important chicken business is lagging others in the industry.

NEW YORK - Perfume company Inter Parfums Inc. reported after the market closed Monday that profit rose in the third quarter, helped by trimmed expenses and a foreign currency gain.

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. - Price-conscious grocery shoppers are being choosy about what they buy to cook at home, even from the value-oriented Campbell Soup Co.

HOUSTON - Oil services company BJ Services Co. said Monday it posted a fiscal fourth-quarter loss as drilling plunged.

PORTLAND, Ore. - H.J. Heinz Co. is scheduled to report earnings for its fiscal second quarter on Tuesday before the market opens. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Campbell Soup Co reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday, helped by price increases and easing costs for ingredients including grains that offset a drop in sales.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Tech Data Corp. on Monday said its third-quarter net income more than doubled as lower interest expenses and a smaller foreign-exchange loss more than offset a decline in revenue.

WASHINGTON - Medtronic, the world's largest medical device maker, reports earnings for the second fiscal quarter of 2010 on Tuesday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion for the last period.

NEW YORK - CDC Software Corp., a Chinese business software developer whose shares began trading in the United States last summer, said Monday its third-quarter profit rose 47 percent on lower costs and expenses.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tyson Foods Inc posted higher-than-expected quarterly results on Monday on strength in its beef, pork and prepared foods businesses, which it expects to continue in its new fiscal year.

PORTLAND, Ore. - J.M. Smucker Co. nearly tripled its profit in the second quarter as the addition of Folgers coffee gave a jolt to its lineup and lower commodity prices for coffee beans and other items fattened its profit margins.

Dell's earnings are up and expectations are solid, but the company's stock still took a hit Friday afternoon after analysts signaled the company isn't playing a key role in the PC market recovery. Dell's shipments were flat in the third quarter and down five percent from the year-ago period despite improvements in the large-enterprise and small-and-midsize business segments and increased demand and revenue from business customers.

Homebuilder D.R. Horton Inc., saw new home orders spike 26 percent from a year ago in the latest quarter as buyers raced to close deals and take advantage of a federal tax credit. But a wider-than-anticipated loss fueled by write-downs sent shares tumbling more than 15 percent Friday.

CUPERTINO, Calif. - Shares of Verigy Ltd. rose Friday after the maker of chip testing equipment turned in a stronger-than-expected performance in the fourth quarter.

MILWAUKEE - Hormel Foods Corp. reports results for its fiscal fourth quarter on Tuesday before the market opens. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.

MILWAUKEE - Tyson Foods Inc., the world's largest meat producer, is scheduled to report results for its fiscal fourth quarter on Monday before the market opens. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.

JERICHO, N.Y. - Griffon Corp., a communications and electronic information, building products and specialty plastics business, said it posted a fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $12.4 million, compared to a year-ago loss, even as sales fell 7 percent.

HARLEYSVILLE, Pa. - Met-Pro Corp., which makes pollution control technologies, said Friday its third-quarter profit plunged two-thirds on weak markets, surprising Wall Street.

SAN FRANCISCO - Some of the computer industry's biggest players — such as IBM Corp., Intel Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. — have wowed Wall Street this fall with stronger-than-expected profits.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Auto retailer America's Car-Mart Inc. reported on Friday a 61 percent higher fiscal second-quarter profit, as consumers turned to the used car market amid tighter credit restrictions.

CHICAGO - Shoppers spent more money at low-price Old Navy stores in the third quarter, helping Gap Inc.'s profit climb 25 percent compared with last year, the retailer said Thursday.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Dell , the world's No.3 PC brand, said on Friday that its core business of selling computers to companies was returning, after a sharp drop-off during the global downturn led to disappointing quarterly results.

NASHUA, N.H. - Education software company SkillSoft PLC said Thursday its third-quarter net income rose 63 percent as lower costs offset a decrease in revenue, and it raised its outlook for the rest of the year.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Sporting goods retailer Hibbett Sports Inc. said Thursday its profit rose 15 percent in the third quarter as sales rose and it took better control of inventory and expenses.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. - Dole Food Co. said Thursday its third-quarter loss widened as the loss of two businesses cut into the fruit and vegetable producer's revenue compared with a year ago.

NEW YORK - Athletic shoes seller Foot Locker Inc. on Thursday reported a loss for the third quarter as consumers spent less at its stores and it wrote down the value of its assets by $22 million.