Xircom Reports Sharp Increase in Profits

Xircom Inc., a Calabasas supplier of components that link personal computers and other equipment, said its fiscal first-quarter profits rose 34% from a year earlier on a 29% increase in sales.

In the quarter ended Dec. 31, Xircom’s net income climbed to $1.78 million from $1.33 million a year earlier, while its sales rose to $17.2 million from $13.3 million.

Xircom attributed the gains to growing demand for its products that enable computers--including portable computers--and other equipment to share data in local networks.