Mueller earnings rise to black in third quarter

For the year to date, the company has net sales of $98.6 million, up 27 percent over last year, and net income of $2.79 million compared to a loss of $9.4 million during the same period in 2004.

The rosy earnings announcement comes just as the company announced a change in leadership. Matthew T. Detelich was elected as the company’s new president and CEO at an Oct. 14 board of directors meeting. He replaces Dan Manna, who retired in May after 23 years with the company.

On Oct. 26, Mueller Co. declared a 60-cent per share cash dividend to shareholders of record Nov. 21. Shares of Paul Mueller stock (OTC: MUEL.PK) closed Nov. 2 at $32. A 52-week range was not available.

Leggett earnings drop

Carthage-based Leggett & Platt reported third-quarter earnings of 28 cents per diluted share, down 13 cents from the 41 cents per share attained in the third quarter of 2004.

The company cited unusually high workers’ compensation costs, higher costs for raw materials and currency impacts as the reasons for the drop in earnings.

Quarterly sales totaled $1.35 billion, up 0.8 percent from the same period in 2004.

“The second half of this year has been a difficult environment in which to operate,” said Chairman and CEO Felix E. Wright in a news release. “Our markets are adjusting to high gasoline prices and utility costs, devastating hurricanes, a shortage of petrochemicals and highly volatile steel costs. We expect that these pressures will eventually abate, but we do not know how quickly that will occur.”

Leggett’s net earnings for the year to date were $206 million, down 6.3 percent from the same period in 2004.

Officials plan to close, consolidate or divest approximately 35 underutilized and underperforming operations. The company also recently acquired five companies, adding about $85 million in revenues.

Shares of Leggett & Platt stock (NYSE: LEG) closed Nov. 2 at $20.49, compared to a 52-week range of $18.19 to $30.68.

O’Reilly earnings up 35.5%

Springfield-based O’Reilly Automotive Inc. reported record third-quarter earnings as net income jumped 40.2 percent to $48.6 million, compared to $34.7 million for the same period in 2004.

Third-quarter earnings were 42 cents per share, up by 35.5 percent from third-quarter 2004.

Product sales for the quarter reached $542.9 million, up 19.3 percent from the same quarter last year. Year-to-date product sales are $1.53 billion, up from $1.29 billion in nine-month sales in 2004. Comparable store product sales for stores open at least one year increased 6.1 percent for the third quarter.

Gross profit for the quarter increased to $235.9 million, up from $198.2 million last year.

O’Reilly opened 33 new stores in the third quarter and will have opened 150 total by the end of the year. The retailer specializes in automotive aftermarket parts and supplies.

Shares of the company’s stock (Nasdaq: ORLY) closed Nov. 2 at $29.78, compared to a 52-week range of $21.35 to $32.53.

Empire District earnings up 26%

Joplin-based Empire District Electric Co. posted earnings of 78 cents per fully diluted share in the third quarter, compared to 63 cents per share last year. Quarterly earnings of $20.4 million were up 26 percent.

The investor-owned utility’s revenues were $28.2 million higher than in the third quarter of 2004.

The increase in revenue came despite increases of more than $18 million in total fuel and purchased power costs, resulting in part from the effects of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf of Mexico. The company expects high natural gas prices to continue to negatively impact fuel and purchased power expenses short term.

Empire District Electric serves more than 157,000 customers in southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas, northeast Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas, providing electric, fiber optic, Internet and information software services.

Shares of the company’s stock (NYSE: EDE) closed Nov. 2 at $20.38, compared to a 52-week range of $19.25 to $25.01.

Jack Henry revenue rises 10%

Monett-based Jack Henry & Associates Inc. recorded $137 million in revenue, a 10 percent increase, for the company’s first quarter of fiscal year 2006, ended Sept. 30, compared to the same period a year ago.

The company’s net income totaled $19.4 million, or 21 cents per share, compared to $16.7 million a year ago. Most of the increase can be attributed to a 19 percent increase in support and service revenue; that sector brought in $99.4 million in the first quarter of FY 2006, compared to $83.6 million a year ago.

“We realized two important performance milestones during the first fiscal quarter,” said CEO Jack Prim in a news release. “Both our banking and credit union sales organizations ended the quarter ahead of their respective sales quotas, and our transaction-based services generated record revenue.”

The company also reported quarterly assets of $738.3 million, up 17 percent from Sept. 30, 2004.

Jack Henry & Associates Inc. is a provider of integrated technology solutions, performing data processing for financial institutions. Shares of the company’s stock (Nasdaq: JKHY) closed Nov. 2 at $18, compared to a 52-week range of $15.35 to $21.96.