Beckman’s profit up on sale of Agencourt stake

Beckman Coulter Inc. said third-quarter profit jumped 31%, mainly on proceeds from the sale of its stake in Agencourt Bioscience Corp. in July and a legal settlement.

The Fullerton company earned $47.4 million, or 74 cents a share, compared with $36.2 million, or 56 cents, a year earlier.

Revenue rose 6% to $631.2 million.

Excluding the sale, the company’s profit would have slipped to 28 cents a share, as charges including a $27.5-million payment to Roche Diagnostic Corp. and a patent settlement with Applera Corp. added up.

Excluding all charges and gains, the company earned 66 cents a share -- in line with the average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Financial.