Alton Group Inc.: The Irvine parent company...

Alton Group Inc.: The Irvine parent company of Alton Instruments, which manufactures analytical instruments for biomedical and scientific applications, posted a loss of $289,000, or 10 cents a share, for its 1992 fiscal year. That compared to a fiscal 1991 profit of $56,000, or 1 cent a share, including a onetime gain of $477,000. Sales for the year ended June 30 increased 80% to $1.8 million from $1 million. The company, formerly known as Wespercorp, attributed the annual loss to increased investment in research and development and an inventory write-down of the old Wespercorp computer product line. The company recorded a loss of $129,000 for the fourth quarter, compared to a loss of $208,000 for the same period a year earlier. Sales more than doubled, however, to $509,000 from $184,000.