At a Glance

Other earnings, excluding one-time gains or charges unless noted, include:

* Brocade Communications Systems Inc. said first-quarter earnings climbed to $32.5 million, or 13 cents a share, from $7.3 million, or 3 cents, but cut its forecast for annual sales. The latest results beat expectations by a penny, as revenue climbed to $165 million from $42.7 million a year ago. Brocade, which makes switches and software to connect computer data networks, said it expects revenue of about $750 million for the fiscal year, a drop from the $830 million that the company forecast three months ago.

* Collins & Aikman Corp., the largest maker of automobile carpeting, reported a fourth-quarter loss of $15.9 million, or 26 cents a share, contrasted with a year-ago profit of $6.6 million, or 11 cents, as sales slid 14% to $436.8 million. The company said it is freezing hiring amid the slowdown in auto production.

* E-Stamp Corp. said its fourth-quarter loss narrowed to $12.9 million, or 34 cents a share, from $24.2 million, or 70 cents, and said it will cut 45 jobs from its work force.

* Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. reported a 145% jump in fourth-quarter earnings to $5.9 million, or 12 cents a share, on strong growth in the publishing division. Analysts expected 10 cents. Revenue grew 21% to $85.5 million.

* Medtronic Inc. said fiscal third-quarter profit rose 16% to $313.9 million, or 26 cents a share, matching analyst forecasts. The world’s largest pacemaker company said sales rose 8% to $1.36 billion.

* Online grocer Peapod Inc. reported its biggest quarterly loss yet and warned that it is on pace to run out of cash by year’s end without additional financing. Peapod’s fourth-quarter loss ballooned to $23.8 million, or $1.33 a share, from $9.1 million, or 50 cents, a year ago, while sales rose 11% to $23.7 million.