Also. . .

* Phone equipment maker ADC Telecommunications Inc. said that fiscal fourth-quarter profit more than doubled on surging demand for high-speed networking products and fiber-optic components. Net income rose to $87.1 million, or 11 cents a share, in the quarter ended Oct. 31, from $41.1 million, or 6 cents, a year ago. Excluding acquisition and stock compensation costs as well as nonoperating income, profit totaled $137.9 million, or 18 cents a share. Sales soared 63% to $1.03 billion. The company said first-quarter sales growth would slow because of what it called seasonal weakness, but said full-year results would meet analysts’ expectations.

*

H&R; Block Inc., the No. 1 U.S. tax preparer, said its second-quarter loss widened on costs related to its purchases of stock brokerage Olde Financial Corp. and accounting firm McGladrey & Pullen. H&R; Block said in a statement that its loss widened to $49.7 million, or 54 cents a share, in its fiscal second quarter ended Oct. 31, from $44.7 million, or 46 cents, a year earlier. The loss was narrower than the 55-cent average estimate of six analysts surveyed by First Call/Thomson Financial. Revenue rose 73% to $362.6 million.

*

Pet supplies retailer Petsmart Inc. said it just broke even in its third quarter, disappointing analysts who had expected operating profit of 2 cents per share. On Nov. 15, the Phoenix company said lower-than-expected sales would give it earnings per share 4 cents to 5 cents lower than the 7 cents analysts expected. Operating earnings were $500,000, down from $5.6 million, or 5 cents a share, a year earlier. On a net basis, the company lost $2.4 million, or 2 cents, largely because of a $6-million loss linked to asset write-downs at its online business, Petsmart.com. A year ago, Petsmart lost $33.2 million, or 29 cents. Revenue rose 5% to $541.3 million.

*

No.1 pork producer Smithfield Foods Inc. said its fiscal second-quarter earnings doubled from a year ago and topped analysts’ forecasts, powered by substantially higher prices for live hogs. Net income rose to $44.6 million, or 81 cents per share, compared with $22.2 million, or 48 cents a share, a year ago. Analysts on average expected earnings of 77 cents a share. Sales rose to $1.4 billion from $1.2 billion.

*

Merck & Co. said Per Lofberg gave up his post as chairman of its Medco unit, the largest U.S. provider of pharmacy services, to lead Merck’s $100-million venture fund for new health-care technologies.