Superior Industries Says Earnings Jumped 34%

Superior Industries International Inc., its aluminum-wheel sales continuing to roll along, said its fourth-quarter earnings jumped 34% from a year earlier on a 20% revenue gain.

The Van Nuys-based maker of automobile wheels said net income in the quarter that ended Dec. 31 climbed to $9.24 million from $6.89 million a year ago, while revenue rose to $92.7 million from $77.2 million.

The gains reflected continued demand for Superior’s cast-aluminum wheels, particularly from manufacturers of light trucks and utility vehicles, the company said. Ongoing cost-cutting efforts also helped boost earnings, it added.

Superior’s profit for all of 1992 surged 57%, to $28.6 million from $18.2 million the prior year, and its annual revenue rose 19%, to $325.3 million from $273.5 million.