Business news for Thu, 29 Nov 2007 & with words earnings+quarter. 8 news.

Dell Inc. said earnings grew 27 percent in the third quarter, buoyed by growth in overseas markets like Brazil and by prices falling for memory chips and other components.

AP - Stocks fell Thursday as investors digested a mix of corporate and economic news, including weaker-than-expected earnings from Sears Holdings Corp. and a strong reading on U.S. economic growth in the third quarter.

Stocks fell Thursday as investors digested a mix of corporate and economic news, including weaker-than-expected earnings from Sears Holdings Corp. and a strong reading on U.S. economic growth in the third quarter.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Cato Corp. on Thursday said third-quarter earnings fell 51% to $2.9 million, or 9 cents a share, from $5.9 million, or 18 cents a share in the year-ago period. Revenue at the Charlotte, N.C. retailer dipped 3% to $182 million. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial forecast earnings of 8 cents a share, on average. Citing a difficult environment, the company said it expects a fourth-quarter loss of 8 cents a share to breakeven, compared to the Wall Street target of 21 cents a share.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Conn's Inc. on Thursday said third-quarter net income fell 44% to $4 million, or 17 cents a share, from $7.2 million, or 30 cents a share in the year-ago period. Revenue rose to $189 million from $174 million. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial forecast earnings of 33 cents a share and revenue of $193 million, on average. Conn's cut its 2008 profit target to $1.64 to $1.74 a share in light of a fair value adjustment of 11 cents a share. The Beaumont, Texas appliance retailer said its credit portfolio experienced rising delinquencies during the third quarter, though at a slightly slower pace than in the prior year quarter.

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Fred's Inc. said that third-quarter net income dipped to $4.6 million, or 12 cents a share, from $6.0 million, or 15 cents a share, a year ago. Analysts had been expecting earnings to total 14 cents a share, according to data compiled by Thomson Financial. Sales at the general merchandise store chain rose 3% to $419.9 million, after comparable store sales rose 1.2%. The company said that $1.5 million of costs orginally intended for the fourth quarter were brought forward into the third quarter. "This timing shift will benefit previously forecast fourth quarter earnings by 2 cents a share and, consequently, will not affect our full-year plan. "Early indications from our holiday sales, while strong in the new expansion departments, thus far show that consumers remain conservative in spending," the firm said.

Bombardier, the global airplane and train maker, said it had named Pierre Beaudoin as its chief executive, taking over from his father, Laurent Beaudoin, who will remain chairman. The move comes as Bombardier reported an almost 23 percent increase in third-quarter profit amid strong orders for trains and planes. Earnings rose to $91 million, or 5 cents a share, despite bad publicity in the quarter over several crash landings of one of its turboprop aircraft as a result of landing gear failure. Pierre Beaudoin, above, currently president and chief operating officer of the aerospace unit, will become chief executive effective with the next annual meeting on June 4.

NEW YORK -- Stocks fell today as investors digested a mix of corporate and economic news, including weaker-than-expected earnings from Sears Holdings Corp. and a strong reading on U.S. economic growth in the third quarter.