Abstract
SEVEN OF NINE chemical companies that have published their fourth-quarter 2006 financial figures show double-digit or better earnings increases, indicating that growth in the industry is not over. Earnings are from continuing operations, excluding significant extraordinary and nonrecurring items. The largest percentage, as well as dollar, increase is at DuPont, where earnings rose 235% to $422 million on a 7.7% gain in sales to $6.23 billion. The rise in earnings, according to DuPont, reflects the increase in sales, flat fixed costs, and improved operating results in the company's performance materials and agriculture and nutrition businesses. Significantly, DuPont also was one of the chemical companies most affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the same year-ago quarter. Cabot had a 146% earnings increase to $54.0 million on an 11.6% sales increase to $655 million. According to CEO Kennett F. Burnes, the company benefited from attention to manufacturing efficiency, cost minimization, and profitable ...
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
