4:35pm 01/08/04 Alcoa nets profit for Q4 as sales rise 9% (AA) By Myra P. Saefong SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Dow component Alcoa said late Thursday that it netted a profit for the fourth-quarter, as aggressive cost management helped drive revenue up by 9 percent. The Pittsburgh-based aluminum producer (AA) reported fourth-quarter net income of $291 million, or 33 cents a share. A year ago, it saw a loss of $223 million, 26 cents per share. It pegged fourth-quarter income from continuing operations at $340 million, or 39 cents per share. Loss from continuing operations was $146 million, or 17 cents a year earlier. Revenue rose 8.5 percent to $5.53 billion. The results beat the average estimates of analysts polled by Reuters Research, who were looking for earnings of 34 cents a share and revenue of $5.47 billion. Ahead of the news, shares of Alcoa closed at $38.66, up 46 cents
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