Janus Capital Group Inc. Fourth-quarter earnings more than tripled from a year earlier, when the money manager wrote down the value of its printing unit. Net income increased to $37.7 million, or 19 cents a share, from $10.8 million, or 5 cents a share, in the last three months of 2005, spokesman James Aber said Thursday. The write-down a year earlier had reduced profit by 11 cents a share. Janus didn’t include year-earlier results in its earnings statement Thursday. Investors pulled $700 million from long-term funds in the fourth quarter, compared with $100 million three months earlier. The outflows overshadowed the fact that Denver- based Janus posted full-year net inflows for the first time since 2000.
Suncor Energy Inc. The world’s second-biggest producer of petroleum from oil sands and operator of a refinery in Denver said fourth-quarter profit fell 48 percent on higher operating and royalty costs and narrower refining margins. Net income fell to $304 million, or 65 cents a share, from $588 million, or $1.26 a share, a year earlier, Calgary-based Suncor said Thursday.
Lockheed Martin Corp. The world’s largest defense company said fourth-quarter profit rose 28 percent and raised its yearly forecast on increased orders for the F-22 fighter jet. Net income beat analysts’ estimates, climbing to $729 million, or $1.68 a share, from $568 million, or $1.29 a share, a year earlier, the Bethesda, Md.-based company said Thursday. Sales grew 6 percent to $10.8 billion.
AT&T Inc. Fourth-quarter earnings rose 17 percent, the telecommunications company reported Thursday. For the three months ended Dec. 31, the nation’s largest provider of local-phone, cellular and DSL Internet services posted net income of $1.94 billion, or 50 cents a share. In the same quarter a year earlier, earnings totaled $1.66 billion, or 46 cents a share. Fourth-quarter revenues reached $15.9 billion, a 23 percent increase.
Microsoft Corp. The long-delayed launch of the Windows Vista operating system cut into fiscal second-quarter profits at Microsoft Corp. In the last three months of the year, earnings fell to $2.63 billion, or 26 cents a share, from $3.65 billion, or 34 cents a share, during the same period of 2005. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected the software maker to post a profit of 23 cents a share.
Union Pacific Corp. The nation’s largest railroad operator reported a 64 percent jump in fourth-quarter net income Thursday because of greater efficiencies and strong demand for the coal and agricultural products it ships. Union Pacific said it earned $485 million, or $1.78 a share, during the quarter that ended Dec. 31, up from last year’s $296 million, or $1.10 a share.
