42 Cents Per Share From 744 Million example essay topic

As our mission clearly states, Student Affairs strives to be an integral part of the education of students at Florida International University. Comprised of 19 major departments and units, the Division is involved in practically all aspects of a student's total education, both within and outside the classroom. More than 300 employees on both the University Park and Biscayne Bay Campus serve in various capacities for the Division. You can access the departments and many of their individual units through this Web site.

E-mail addresses and telephone numbers are available in some areas to request additional information. Vital to the success of Student Affairs are our collaborative efforts with academics as well as our participation in the University's Diversity Initiative. Information on these successful ventures can also be obtained through this Web site. If you have comments or questions about the Division of Student Affairs or our Web Pages, please contact us at 305-348-2797.

Stocks rose on Thursday as Wall Street cheered the latest corporate profit results and pointed to comments from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan as a sign the recession-slammed economy is near a rebound. Thursday marks the busiest day for companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 index. SPX to release earnings -- 64 companies are expected to report in a single day. So far, 60 percent have reported profits that beat analysts' forecasts, said market research firm Thomson Financial / First Call. That's in line with the historical average. Even so, profits on average are down 21.6 percent for the second straight quarter -- the worst showing in a decade.

Despite the fourth quarter's dismal results, investors said comments in the reports are starting to signal a business pickup. 'Greenspan told us things are looking better and that the big negatives on the economy last year are improving,' said Robert Barbera, chief economist for brokerage and asset management firm Honig & Co. 'What we " re getting across most categories is news that the worst is behind us. ' The tech-laced Nasdaq. IXI C rose 32 points, or 1.71 percent, to 1,955. The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average.

DJI, gained 92 points, or 0.95 percent, to 9,824. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 Index. SPX added 9 points, or 0.83 percent, to 1,137, boosted by shares of makers of data-storage systems and chip makers. More than 990 million shares traded on the Nasdaq, where 19 stocks rose for every 13 that fell. About 750 million shares changed hands on the Big Board. Advances trounced decliners by an average of 17 to 12.

Greenspan's testimony to the Senate Budget Committee boosted stocks after he said 'there have been signs recently that some of the forces that have been restraining the economy over the past year are starting to diminish and that activity is beginning to firm. ' Nokia Corp. NOK. N also helped stocks gain after the world's largest cellular phone maker unveiled a bigger-than-expected fourth-quarter profit on the back of strong Christmas sales of mobile phones. The Finnish company also said it saw an improvement in conditions during the current year and stuck to its sales growth target. Shares rose $1.34 to $23.55.

'Nokia came out with better earnings and that's the stuff that turned the market up,' said Lance Zipper, managing director of equity trading at Break Murray & Co. 'That's a big stock and a big industry. ' EMC Corp. EMC. N, the world's largest maker of data-storage systems, reported a net loss that was smaller than forecasts and said the firm's cost-cutting was ahead of schedule. Shares jumped $2.44 to $17. 'There are positive surprises on a number of fronts,' said Phil Dow, director of equity strategy for RBC Dain Rauscher.

'You " ve had a number of companies with better-than-expected results and better commentary on how business is doing. Nokia is one and EMC is another. ' It was a busy morning for holders of drug and health care stocks as a slew of companies reported quarterly financial results. Eli Lilly and Co.

LLY. N reported lower profits in line with Wall Street forecasts, as it struggles to rebound from the loss of U.S. patent protection over antidepressant Prozac, its flagship drug. Shares dropped $2.37 to $73.39. Shares of Applied Biosystems Group ABI.

N, which makes equipment that helps analyze genes, fell as much as 27 percent after the company said its fiscal 2002 earnings would fall short of Wall Street forecasts as customers trim spending and U.S. government grants to academic institutions are delayed following the late adoption of the 2002 budget. Shares sank $7.81 to $25.91. A fall in weekly U.S. jobless claims buoyed market sentiment. The number of U.S. workers applying for state unemployment benefits fell last week, signaling a stronger labor market than economists polled by Reuters had forecast. The number of workers filing initial jobless claims fell to 376,000 from 391,000 in the previous week, the Labor Department said. The four-week moving average, which smooths out weekly gyrations, also fell, dropping to 404,250 in the latest week from 413,000 in the previous week.

Phillips Petroleum Co. P. N and Conoco Inc. COC. N, which are combining to create the third-largest U.S. oil company, on Thursday separately reported fourth-quarter earnings that fell by nearly 80 percent, humbled by lower oil and gas prices. Phillips and Conoco, teaming up to better compete against larger oil companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp. XOM. N and Chevron Texaco Corp. CVS.

N, were stung by a economic recession that has undercut demand for crude oil and natural gas. Even after attempts by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to hold back exports -- the cartel has announced four production cutbacks in the last 12 months -- oil prices are well down from their highs of a year ago. After reporting record profits last year, oil concerns are now feeling the pinch of crude prices that fell by more than 35 percent in the 2001 fourth-quarter compared with a year earlier. Gas prices were down more than 60 percent. 'Even though the comparisons look pretty awful, it's still not as bad as it could get,' said Tyler Dann of Banc of America.

'My main concern right now is that oil prices could contract further,' particularly if OPEC doesn't stand by its production cuts, he said. Hurt by the low fourth-quarter prices, Bartlesville, Okla-based Phillips saw net income fall 78 percent to $162 million, or 42 cents per share, from $744 million, or $2.88 a share, a year ago. Houston-based Conoco's profits fell 77 percent. Phillips was also dogged by lean profit margins in refining, marketing and transportation, where operating income fell to $96 million from $125 million a year earlier.

Phillips bulked up its so-called downstream business last year with the acquisition of To sco Corp. In the fourth quarter, downstream 'margins were adversely affected by the decline in petroleum products demand resulting from the slowdown in the U.S. economy following the events of September 11' and warmer-than-normal weather in the Northeastern states, said Chief Executive Officer Jim Mul va. Excluding special items, overall profits at Phillips were 59 cents a share, down from $2.72 a share a year earlier. Its fourth-quarter profits came in nearly 12 percent below the consensus analyst estimate of 67 cents a share. Revenues rose to $10 billion from $6.3 billion, although last year's figures was restated to include taxes on sales of oil products.

PROFITS DISAPPOINT WALL STREET Shares of Phillips were up 8 cents at $58.90 on the New York Stock Exchange activity, while Conoco was down 8 cents at $28.03. Conoco Chairman and Chief Executive Archie Dunham said the cost savings the two companies expect from their combination should help usher them through the 'weak markets. ' The deal is expected to close in the second half of the year, although there has been speculation that another oil company may try to block the deal with a competing bid. Executives have billed the deal as a merger of equals and the board will be equally divided between the two companies. Phillips shareholders, however, will hold a slightly larger stake in the new company, to be called ConocoPhillips.

Conoco's fourth-quarter net income dropped to $127 million, or 20 cents a share, from $550 million, or 87 cents a share, a year earlier. Conoco's revenues fell by 18 percent to $8.5 billion from $10.4 billion a year earlier. Before special items, earnings were 31 cents a diluted share, down from 91 cents a share in fourth quarter 2000. That was slightly below the consensus estimate of 35 cents a share analysts had expected, according to research firm Thomson Financial / First Call. Conoco's refining and marketing business saw earnings fall 76 percent to $23 million. Exploration and production earnings fell 47 percent to $302 million, it said.

Microsoft Corp. MSFT. O has accused rival AOL Time Warner Inc. AOL. N of holding back documents detailing how it has helped the nine U.S. states pressing for tougher antitrust penalties against the software giant.

The filing with Judge Colleen Kolar-Ko telly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is the latest in a flurry of legal jabs between the two corporate foes. Filed late Wednesday, the motion came one day after AOL launched a private lawsuit alleging Microsoft's unfair business practices harmed its Netscape Web browser subsidiary. Microsoft said its motion is unrelated to that new lawsuit. In the filing, Microsoft said AOL has failed to abide by subpoenas that require it to reveal contacts with the nine states demanding tougher measures against Microsoft. 'AOL can't have it both ways.

Their uncooperative attitude on document production stands in stark contrast to their active, behind-the-scenes involvement with the non-settling states,' said Microsoft spokesman Jim Dealer. An AOL spokesman had no immediate comment on Microsoft's motion but said the company would respond in a filing of its own later on Thursday. AOL had produced only 851 pages of documents, while two other firms involved in the litigation's, SBC Communications and Novell had produced 27 boxes and seven boxes, respectively, Microsoft said. Microsoft asked the court to force AOL to hand over more documents as well as shorten the time for AOL to respond to the filing, and bar any AOL witnesses from giving trial testimony. Microsoft itself has recently come under fire for similar reasons from the American Antitrust Institute, a private group supporting harsher sanctions against the company. The AAI says Microsoft has failed to disclose all communications it had with the federal government and nine states in crafting an antitrust settlement.