Coca-Cola
Third-quarter profit inched higher. Sales fell as consumers continued to limit soft-drink purchases and the stronger dollar took a toll on revenue.
The world’s biggest beverage maker said it earned $1.896 billion, 81 cents per share, compared with $1.89 billion, 81 cents per share, a year earlier. Revenue slumped to $8.04 billion.
Peabody Energy
Third-quarter profits plunged 71 percent as cooler weather and cheap natural gas curtailed coal-fired power generation. But the performance soundly topped expectations.
Peabody earned $106.8 million, 40 cents per share, in the July-through-September period. That compared with $369.5 million, $1.35 a share, a year ago. Revenue rose to $1.67 billion.
Caterpillar
The heavy-equipment maker is counting on overseas customers to buy more of its construction and mining equipment next year, helping move the company beyond a deep recession that slammed its third-quarter earnings.
The company earned $404 million, 64 cents per share, in the third quarter, compared with $868 million, $1.39 per share, a year earlier. Sales slid 44 percent to $7.30 billion.
UnitedHealth
Third-quarter profit jumped 13 percent as growth in several businesses helped balance another enrollment decline.
The managed-care company said Tuesday said it earned $1.04 billion, 89 cents per share, in the quarter ended in September, compared with $920 million, 75 cents per share, a year ago.
Analysts expected 76 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters. Revenue rose to $21.7 billion.
Lockheed Martin
Third-quarter earnings rose amid a flurry of sales of military aircraft, including the C-130J transport plane and Joint Strike Fighter, and delivery of a commercial satellite.
Lockheed said earnings rose nearly 8 percent to $797 million, $2.07 per share, compared with $782 million, $1.92 per share, last year. Revenue grew nearly 5 percent to $11.06 billion.
Pfizer
The drugmaker posted a 26 percent jump in third- quarter profit as cost cuts made up for a dip in sales.
Pfizer slashed costs on everything from manufacturing and marketing to research and development to produce net income of $2.88 billion. That was up from $2.28 billion a year earlier, when the company had a big legal charge. Pfizer had sales of $11.62 billion.
Western Union
Third-quarter profit fell 25 percent after the money-transfer business took a $71 million charge tied to a regulatory settlement and reported a drop in U.S.-based transactions.
Net income declined to $181 million, 26 cents a diluted share, from $240.8 million, 33 cents, in the same period a year earlier, the Douglas County company said Tuesday.
Western Union in June won a victory in Arizona’s Supreme Court, which overturned a lower-court decision allowing officials to seize certain Mexico-bound money transfers they suspect are linked to human or drug smuggling. The company took the charge to resolve “all outstanding legal issues” and to fund a nonprofit organization to promote border security.
Yahoo
The Internet giant may finally be pulling out of a three-year slump that cast aside two CEOs and led to laying off about 2,000 workers.
Yahoo earned $186 million, 13 cents a share, in the July- September quarter, compared with $54 million, 4 cents a share, at the same time last year. Revenue fell 12 percent to $1.58 billion.
