Fourth-Quarter Net Rises at McDonnell Douglas

McDonnell Douglas Corp., one of the nation’s major defense contractors, said Friday that it earned $94.8 million on revenue of $3.09 billion in the final three months of 1985.

The fourth-quarter earnings were slightly higher than the $91.7 million earned in the fourth quarter of 1984, when revenue amounted to $2.62 billion.

The St. Louis-based defense giant also said its earnings for all of last year totaled $345.7 million. Those results compare to earnings of $325.3 million in the previous year.

For all of 1985, revenue totaled $11.5 billion, compared to sales of nearly $9.7 billion in 1984.

The company cited a $109.3-million loss in its McDonnell Douglas information systems group and $95 million in interest charges on loans as the primary reasons why its 1985 earnings growth did not keep pace with the growth in sales.

The information group’s loss was attributed to the broad slowdown in the computer and computer-related industries.

The firm said its three aerospace lines--combat aircraft, transport aircraft and space systems and missiles--had 1985 revenue that was 18% higher than 1984 results. Earnings for the three lines were 22% higher in 1985 than those in the previous year, the company said.

McDonnell Douglas also said it increased its quarterly stock dividend to 52 cents per share, payable April 7 to shareholders of record March 3.