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Hudson, N.H., digital printer equipment maker profits despit...

Hudson, N.H., digital printer equipment maker profits despite weak U.S. sales 

Digital printer(from:http://www.office-products-suppliers.com/d-p9471602-digital_printer/) equipment maker Presstek Inc. turned a profit in the second quarter, despite disappointing U.S. sales.

The Hudson company made big gains last quarter with profits of $500,000, or 2 cents per share, versus a loss of $4.9 million, or 13 cents per share, in the same April through July period last year.

Presstek lost more than $12 million in 2007. Amid increasing financial woes, a new executive team was put in place early in the year and instituted a business improvement plan to cut expenses.

In a statement released this week, the company credited that plan with strengthening the balance sheet(from: http://www.office-products-suppliers.com/buy-sheet/).

"The company's lean cost structure drove a net profit," said Jeff Cook, executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Revenue in the second quarter was $54.3 million, a 21 percent or $14.5 million decline from the same period in 2007. Although European revenue rebounded from the first quarter, U.S. sales took a dive.

The drop in sales were linked to the overall U.S. economic slowdown.

However, the company was able to turn a profit because operating expenses declined $6.9 million, or 30 percent, from the same period in 2007.

"While the economy is beyond our control, we made excellent progress in areas within our control," Jeff Jacobson, president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

 

"Results like this are only achieved with focus, extreme dedication and relentless hard work."

Third-quarter financial results will include money from the previously announced sale(from: http://www.office-products-suppliers.com/buy-sale/) of the company's Lasertel property in Tucson, Ariz., for $8.75 million.

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Mainframe Sales, Strong Overseas Market Buoy IBM Earnings

Mainframe Sales, Strong Overseas Market Buoy IBM Earnings

IBM (from:http://www.china-computer-accessories.com/buy-IBM/)reported strong second-quarter earnings Thursday, beating analyst expectations and buoyed in part by sales of its new high-end mainframe computer and continued strong performance overseas.

Diluted earnings per share for the quarter were $1.98 on revenue of $26.8 billion, a 13 percent revenue increase over last year, or 6 percent when adjusted for currency valuations.

Analysts polled by Thomson Financial had on average predicted $1.82 per share and $25.9 billion in revenue.

Mark fromhttp://www.china-computer-accessories.com/buy-Mark/ Loughridge, IBM's chief financial officer, crowed over the results during a conference call Thursday. "This is one of the best quarters I've ever seen. ... These are truly powerful results," he said.

Like that of its rivals Oracle and SAP, IBM's financial results are increasingly seen as a bellwether for the economy as the world goes through an economic slowdown.

Sales in the Americas region stood at $10.9 billion, an increase of 6 percent when adjusted for currency effects. Revenue from the Europe, Middle East and Africa region was $9.8 billion, up 7 percent, and Asia Pacific revenue was $5.3 billion, a 6 percent jump, both on a currency-adjusted basis.

IBM's System z mainframe sales grew by 32 percent over the previous year. System z "has been extremely well-received in the marketplace," Loughridge said. "We entered the quarter with a strong deal pipeline, and this quarter, frankly, we were sold out."

System p sales also grew, by 29 percent over last year.

It was a different story for IBM's other hardware lines, however: System x sales fell by 5 percent, and System i by 47 percent. Loughridge associated that decline with IBM's ongoing efforts to move its legacy System i customer base to the newer Power platform.

Another weak spot was the Systems and Technology segment, which fell 3 percent when adjusted for currency, on $5.2 billion in revenue.

Meanwhile, Global Technology Services revenue rose 8 percent on an adjusted basis to $10.1 billion; and Global Business fromhttp://www.china-computer-accessories.com Services sales were up 9 percent to $5.1 billion.

IBM raised its profit forecast for all of 2008 to at least $8.75 per share, up from $8.50. The company has a 2010 target of $10 to $11 per share.

Without naming any potential target areas, Loughridge suggested IBM is looking to make further acquisitions even as it comes off large deals, such as its purchase of BI (business intelligence) vendor Cognos. "At today's prices there are some very attractive candidates out there," he said.

 
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