Procter & Gamble Co.
The consumer products maker tempered its earnings outlook for the year Thursday because of fast-rising costs for raw materials and fuel and the still-sluggish economies in the U.S. and other developed countries.
P&G, based in Cincinnati, said net income was $2.87 billion, up 11 percent over last year. Earnings per share were 96 cents on revenue of $20.23 billion. Analysts expected 97 cents a share on $20.24 billion.
Ball Corp.
The Broomfield-based metal-packaging and aerospace company’s first-quarter earnings rose 15 percent, beating analysts’ estimates, as the firm reported strong volume growth in each of its businesses fueled by acquisitions.
Ball reported a profit of $91.3 million, or 53 cents a share, up from $79.3 million, or 42 cents, a year earlier. Excluding the impact of a closed metal beverage can plant in California and other business-consolidation costs and discontinued operations, earnings were 58 cents, compared with 43 cents a year earlier. Revenue increased 26 percent to $2.01 billion.
Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had forecast earnings of 48 cents on $1.9 billion in revenue.
Microsoft Corp.
A slowdown in personal computer sales hurt the software company’s quarterly earnings, but Microsoft made up for it with strong sales of its Kinect and Xbox video game products.
Microsoft reported Thursday that net income in its third quarter rose 31 percent to $5.23 billion, or 61 cents a share, from $4 billion, or 45 cents, a year ago. Revenue climbed 13 percent to $16.43 billion from $14.5 billion.
A survey of analysts by Thomson Reuters had forecast net income of 56 cents a share.
Viacom
The media company reported a 20 percent increase in quarterly revenue Thursday, citing stronger advertiser demand and the popularity of shows like “Jersey Shore” on MTV.
Viacom, which owns cable channels like MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon and the movie studio Paramount Pictures, said its revenue was $3.27 billion in its second quarter, up from $2.73 billion in the period a year ago. Net income for the quarter was $376 million, or 63 cents a share. That was a 53 percent gain over the same quarter a year ago, when the company had net income of $245 million, or 40 cents. The company generally topped analysts’ expectations.
Eastman Kodak Co.
The photography icon said Thursday it lost $246 million in the first quarter — its third quarterly loss in the past year — on weaker sales of digital cameras and film. The results missed Wall Street expectations.
Kodak said its loss in the January- to-March quarter amounted to 91 cents a share. That compares with net income of $119 million, or 40 cents, a year earlier, when results were swelled by $550 million in one-time revenue from a digital- imaging patent-litigation triumph.
Excluding items, Kodak said it lost $1.13 a share in the latest quarter.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.
The drugmaker said Thursday its first-quarter profit jumped 33 percent because of higher sales, a payment from a lawsuit and a charge a year earlier. The results topped the expectations of analysts surveyed by FactSet.
Bristol-Myers, which sells blockbuster blood thinner Plavix and bipolar disorder treatment Abilify, said its net income was $986 million, or 57 cents a share. That’s up from $743 million, or 43 cents, a year ago. Revenue rose 4 percent to $5.01 billion.
