New Products Help Ingram Micro Post 35% Quarterly Profit Rise

Ingram Micro Inc. said Wednesday its third-quarter profit rose by 35% as the world’s largest computer distributor added product lines and expanded overseas.

Profit rose to $59.8 million, or 40 cents a share, from $44.3 million, or 31 cents a share, a year ago.

The Santa Ana-based company’s per-share earnings beat the average estimates of 39 cents from analysts surveyed by First Call.

Revenue increased 40% to $5.7 billion from $4.09 billion.

Ingram Micro sells computers to consumers and companies, which resell the products to corporate customers. It expanded its software and networking lines and more than doubled sales in Europe, helping offset a short supply of some computer models.

“Because of their diversity, it won’t unduly affect them if there’s a shortfall,” said Tom Cal, an analyst at Soundview Technology Group, who rates Ingram Micro “buy.”

Some distributors were hurt when Intel Corp. moved to slow computer-chip shipments to personal computer makers to phase in new, higher-profit processors, analysts said. Lower sales in Asia during the quarter added to distributors’ concerns.

“We have well-balanced hardware, software, appliance and networking product lines,” said Jerre Stead, Ingram Micro’s chairman and chief executive.

Ingram Micro’s stock rose $1.38 to $49.88. It released the results after the close of trading.