Eastman Kodak Co.: Kodak reported a third-quarter...

Eastman Kodak Co.: Kodak reported a third-quarter loss of $118 million, mainly because of an early retirement incentive program announced earlier this year.

Kodak wrote off $435 million to cover the cost of the retirement plan, as well as costs associated with a joint venture between Sterling Drug and the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi, and changes in the company’s overseas operations.

The Rochester, N.Y.-based photographic company had said in August that it would take a $375-million charge in the third quarter to cover the cost of the retirement plan, designed to cut 3,000 employees from the payroll.

The loss amounted to 37 cents a share for the three months ended Sept. 30, compared to a loss of $206 million, or 64 cents a share, a year ago.

Without the special charge this year and a charge in 1990 stemming from a settlement of a patent violation settlement with Polaroid, Kodak’s earnings would have been down 11%.

Sales rose 3% to $4.93 billion in the quarter from $4.77 billion in 1990.

For the quarter, sales were up in the company’s imaging, health and chemicals segments and down in the information segment.