At a Glance

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

* Avis Group Holdings Inc., which is being acquired by Cendant Corp., said fourth-quarter earnings rose 42% to $15.3 million, or 32 cents a share, a penny better than expectations, as sales edged down less than 1% to $1 billion.

* Cardinal Health Inc., the second-biggest U.S. drug wholesaler, said fiscal second-quarter profit rose 21% to $214.6 million, or 75 cents a share, from $176.9 million, in line with analyst expectations. Sales rose 24% to $7.75 billion.

* Estee Lauder Cos. said fiscal second-quarter profit rose 12% to $127.3 million, or 50 cents a share, matching forecasts, as sales rose 4.6% to $1.29 billion.

* Guidant Corp., a leading maker of products for treating heart disease, said fourth-quarter profit rose 12% to $125.6 million, or 41 cents a share, on a 13% rise in sales to $649 million. The results were a penny higher than analyst forecasts that had been revised down from 43 cents when the company said its sales would fall short.

* Foster Wheeler Corp., which builds oil refineries and power plants, said fourth-quarter profit declined 1.6% to $12.3 million, or 30 cents a share, hurt by the strong dollar and rising interest costs on its debt. The results matched analyst forecasts for Foster Wheeler, which does about 70% of its business overseas.

* Halliburton Co., the world’s No. 1 oil field services company, said fourth-quarter operating earnings rose 62% to $123 million, or 28 cents a share, as increased profits from oil field services offset lower profits from engineering and construction. Revenue rose 6% to $3.2 billion.

* Hershey Foods Corp.’s earnings rose 18% to $116 million, or 84 cents a share, beating analyst expectations by two cents, as sales rose 8% to $1.19 billion.

* Marsh & McLennan Cos., the world’s biggest insurance broker, said fourth-quarter profit grew 25% to $286 million, or 98 cents, driven by strong sales at its Putnam Investments unit and price increases in commercial insurance. Revenue rose 6% to $2.48 billion. The results met analyst expectations.

* Media General Inc. said fourth-quarter profit from continuing operations fell 26% to $20.8 million, or 91 cents a share, hurt by higher interest expenses from acquisitions. Analysts had expected earnings of 95 cents. Revenue rose 31% to $245 million, buoyed by the acquisition of 13 TV stations and five daily papers.

* Mylan Laboratories Inc., one of the largest makers of generic drugs, said fiscal third-quarter profit fell 7% to $37.6 million, or 30 cents a share, because it had to cut prices and delay introduction of a generic treatment for anxiety. The results missed analyst estimates of 32 cents. Sales rose 9.5% to $223.2 million.

* Pepsi Bottling Group Inc. reported a turnaround profit for the fourth quarter and said that Craig Weatherup will resign as chief executive by year-end. The world’s largest distributor of PepsiCo Inc. beverages reported fourth-quarter profit of $4 million, or 2 cents a share, versus a loss of $29 million, or 19 cents, a year ago, boosted by its price increases. Sales rose 9.7% to $2.4 billion. Analysts had expected the company to report nil earnings per share. The company said President and Chief Operating Officer John Cahill, 43, will succeed Weatherup as CEO, and Weatherup will remain chairman.

* Pitney Bowes Inc. reported a decline in fourth-quarter earnings, warned of lower profit ahead and said it will eliminate about 700 to 800 jobs, or 3% of its work force, citing a slowing U.S. economic expansion and changing technology. The world’s No. 1 maker of postage meters said earnings from continuing operations dropped 9.8% in the latest quarter to $138 million, or 55 cents a share, well below analyst forecasts of 62 cents, as sales fell 4.7% to $978.5 million.

* Procter & Gamble Co.’s earnings increased 4% to $1.31 billion, or 93 cents a share, in its fiscal second quarter, a penny better than forecasts, as price increases, tax gains and the divestiture of its Clearasil business offset higher raw material costs. Revenue declined 4% to $10.18 billion, hurt by the weak euro.

* Stilwell Financial Inc., the parent of mutual fund company Janus Capital Corp., said fourth-quarter operating earnings rose 49% to $147 million, or 64 cents a share, a penny shy of analyst expectations.

* United Parcel Service Inc. reported fourth-quarter earnings that exceeded analysts’ lowered expectations but cautioned that 2001 will be a sluggish year for growth. Profit in the latest quarter rose 9.5% to $724 million, or 63 cents a share, on a 6.1% rise in sales to $7.9 billion, as the company’s expansion in Europe boosted international shipments. UPS said it expects sales will rise 8% to 10% for the year, down from a 10% forecast last month--and lowered its estimate for per-share earnings growth to 9% to 11% from the “mid-teens.” The new estimates were already forecast by analysts.