StarTel’s 3rd-Quarter Earnings Drop 58.7%

StarTel, the Irvine maker of message systems for the telecommunications market, said its 1986 third-quarter earnings dipped 58.7% to $83,000, from $201,000 in the comparable period last year. However, revenues rose slightly to $2.9 million, a 1% increase from $2.87 million last year.

For the first nine months, however, it posted a $235,000 profit, contrasted with a $149,000 loss last year. Sales came to $8.5 million, up 10.1% from $7.7 million last year.

The company attributed the quarter’s profit drop to its investment in new products and product development and to a change in its tax status.