AST Has Best Quarter Ever--$9.6 Million in Profits : Earnings: The Irvine personal computer maker’s report surprises some Wall Street analysts, who figured earnings closer to $6.6 million.

Buoyed by the success of its new high-performance personal computers and cost-control programs, AST Research Inc. on Tuesday reported the highest quarterly profit and sales figures in the company’s 10-year history.

The Irvine personal computer maker earned $9.6 million on revenue of $137.2 million for its fiscal third quarter ended March 30, contrasted with a loss of $1.3 million on revenue of $113.8 million a year earlier.

The financial report, issued after the market closed Tuesday, surprised some Wall Street analysts, whose estimates of AST’s third-quarter earnings generally were closer to $6.6 million.

AST stock rose 50 cents per share to close Tuesday at $21.25 on the over-the-counter market--its highest level in more than 2 1/2 years. The stock has traded as low as $7 during the past year.

“The record financial performance demonstrates AST’s personal computer products are taking a greater foothold in the worldwide marketplace,” said AST President Safi Qureshey.

AST, which introduced a new personal computer for the Japanese market last week, has accelerated its product development and broadened its product line in the past year. The company has shifted its emphasis away from lower-priced machines to concentrate on higher-priced, high-performance PCs designed for sophisticated business users. In December, AST was the first U.S. personal computer maker to introduce a machine based on Intel Corp.’s super-fast i486 microprocessor, which gives PCs the computing speed of larger, costlier machines known as minicomputers.

Benny Lorenzo, an analyst with Volpe, Covington & Welty in San Francisco, said AST’s earnings exceeded his expectations for the fifth straight quarter. The company has mounted an impressive comeback since it was caught in a slump in late 1988 and early 1989, losing millions of dollars.

AST said its gross profit margins were 33% in the third quarter, crediting cost-cutting measures, lower component expenses and brisk demand for its Premium/386 machines based on Intel’s 386 microchip.

The Irvine firm said it reduced its inventories from $86.5 million to $81.5 million during the third quarter and increased its cash from $50.7 million to $77.8 million.

Jay Vleeschhouwer, an analyst for Bear Stearns & Co. in New York, said the company has reduced its debt and tightened its financial controls under the direction of Bruce Edwards, AST’s chief financial officer.

Last week, AST became the first U.S. personal computer maker to begin selling a machine in Japan to compete head on with NEC Corp., which dominates the Japanese market. The machine, which can use the same software as NEC’s personal computers, also represents an attempt by AST to crack the fast-growing, $6-billion Japanese market.

Besides the new venture in Japan, AST is expanding its presence in the European marketplace, where sales grew 16% in the quarter. The company plans to open a manufacturing plant in Western Europe before liberalization of trade policies in 1992 and is launching marketing programs in Eastern Europe, Pakistan, India and Latin America.

AST EARNINGS

Here are quarterly income figures for AST Research for the nine most recent quarters.

In millions of dollars 3rd quarter 1990: $9.6 Source: AST Research Inc.