Beckman Reports $8.1 Million in Earnings for First Quarter

Despite continuing sluggishness in the U.S. market, Beckman Instruments Inc. posted first-quarter earnings of $8.1 million, up slightly from earnings of $8 million in the year-earlier period, the company said Monday.

Sales for the three months ended March 31 were $195.9 million, up 6% from $185.5 million in the corresponding period last year. The company attributed the sales increase to more favorable currency exchange rates.

The Fullerton-based multinational company manufactures biological laboratory instruments and supplies. Sales in the U.S. have slowed recently because of reduced funding for research grants and constrained hospital budgets, Beckman Chairman Louis Rosso said in a prepared statement.

“However, international sales have grown” to offset the domestic slump, he said.