The country?s largest paper producer Ballarpur Industries Ltd (Bilt) on Wednesday posted 7.3% jump in its net profit at Rs 67 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2007 as compared to Rs 62 crore for the corresponding quarter last fiscal. The company’s total revenues for the second quarter also went up by 2.4% at Rs 617 crore as against Rs 602 crore in the same quarter of the previous fiscal.

Net profit for the half year ending December 31, 2007 stood at Rs 136 crore as compared to Rs 120 crore in the corresponding period a year ago. Profit after tax for the period went up by over 12%. Total revenue for the half-year period were reported at Rs 1,229 crore as against Rs 1,180 crore during the same period last year, a company statement said.

UB sales at Rs 306 cr

United Breweries Ltd has posted a net profit of Rs 69 lakh for the third quarter ended December 2007 as against Rs 12.71 crore during the corresponding period of the previous year. The company also clocked a total income of Rs 306.34 crore for Q3 in this fiscal compared to Rs 208 crore during the corresponding previous period. However, the company said that in view of the amalgamation of Karnataka Breweries and Distilleries Ltd (KBDL) that was merged with UBL in June 2007, the figures for the current quarter are not comparable with the figures of the corresponding quarter of the previous year. UBL said during the nine-month period ended December 2007 while the Indian beer industry grew by 12.7% the company’s combined business had registered a growth of 13.7%. UBL’s combined business showed 20% growth in the strong beer portfolio, while mild beer recorded a nine-month growth of 8%, it said in a statement here on Wednesday. “Kingfisher premium has performed slightly below industry growth, so too has the combined portfolio,” it said.

GSFCL net sales up

The net sales of Gujarat State Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd (GSFCL) increased by 10% from Rs 908.84 crore in Q3 2006-07 to Rs 995.48 crore in Q3 2007-08. The net sales increased by 11% from Rs 2482.53 crores during nine months ended on December 31, 2006 to Rs 2759.78 crore in like period of the current year. The EBIDTA was Rs 150.10 crore in Q3-2007-08 as compared to Rs 71.34 crore in Q3 2006-07. The profit before tax was Rs 107.48 crore in Q3 2007-08 as compared to Rs 120.45 crore in like period of the previous year.

Polaris net dips 40%

Polaris Software Lab?s net profit went down by about 40% from Rs 32.28 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2007 to Rs 19.12 crore for the same period this fiscal. Revenue for the third quarter of 2007-08 stood at Rs 282.14 crore as against Rs 273.97 crore for the corresponding period in the previous fiscal, a company release said. Polaris? employee strength crossed 10,000 during the quarter.

Hind Zinc net down

Hindustan Zinc Ltd on Wednesday announced that the company has reported a fall of 41.2% in its net profit to Rs 785 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2007 against Rs 1,335 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. Net sales for the period stood at Rs 1,658 crore, down 33.2% against Rs 2,482 crore last year. ?The Indian rupee appreciated by 12% during the quarter as compared with the corresponding prior quarter,? the company informed.

Fortis net drops 32%

Ranbaxy-promoted Fortis Healthcare Ltd, on Wednesday reported a decrease of 32.04% in the net profit in the quarter ended on December 31, 2007 at Rs 19.3 crore as compared to 28.4 crore in the same quarter previous fiscal. The total earning of the company also witnessed a dip of 1.4% in the third quarter of the current fiscal at Rs 138 crore as compared to Rs 140 crore in the same quarter a year ago.

Nelcast net rises 42%

Nelcast Ltd, a spheroidal graphite iron casting producer, has posted a 42% rise in net profit at Rs.8.67 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2007 as compared to Rs 6.10 crore in the corresponding quarter of the last year. Net sales rose 21.5% to Rs 107.48 crore as compared to Rs 88.47 crore to the corresponding quarter of FY07. The basic diluted EPS stood at Rs 4.98 as compared to Rs 4.67. For the nine months ended December 31, 2007, the company posted a 42% rise in net profit at Rs 20.02 crore compared to Rs 14.10 crore. The company had completed a capacity expansion programme by September 30, 2007, increasing the installed capacity from 1,02,000 tonne to 1,26,000 tonne per annum.

Coro Fert net rises

Coromandel Fertilisers Ltd reported a net profit of Rs 206.40 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2007 as against Rs 84 crore during the same period last fiscal. The sales of the company stood at Rs 3,173 crore during the quarter as against Rs 1,629 crore in the corresponding period of last fiscal. The improvement in profitability is attributable to the various initiatives taken in the manufacturing, distribution and sales fronts resulting in higher contribution and increase in subsidy compensation for freight cost.

Varun Ship net up 86%

Varun Shipping Company earmarked around Rs 1,600 crore ($400 million) as capital expenditure for the calendar year ending December 31, 2008. This would be used for acquisition of additional ships. The shipping major, riding the wave of increased freight rates, posted an 85.96% increase in net profit at Rs 73.68 crore for third quarter ended December 31, 2007, compared with Rs 39.62 crore posted during the same quarter a year ago.

Sify Tech net up

Sify Technologies reported a net profit of $1.55 million (about Rs 6.1 crore) for the quarter ended December 31, 2007, compared to $1.05 million (about Rs 4.1 crore) for the same period the previous fiscal. Revenue for the third quarter of 2007-08 stood at $38.38 million (about Rs 151 crore) as against $35.30 million (about Rs 139 crore) for the corresponding period in the previous fiscal, a company release said.

Sun TV net at Rs 102 cr

Kalanidhi Maran-promoted media group Sun TV Network on Wednesday posted a profit after tax of Rs 102.30 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2007, where as the same was at Rs 59.77 crore for the corresponding quarter in 2006. Total income of the company was at Rs 231.99 crore for the third quarter of this fiscal, while the same was at Rs 125.02 crore for the corresponding quarter of last financial year, Sun TV informed the Bombay Stock Exchange.

SRF net slump

Chemicals and tyre cord maker SRF Ltd on Wednesday said net profit halved in the quarter to December, hit by a stronger rupee and lower carbon credit sales in the quarter. SRF reported a net profit of Rs 34.28 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2007 as compared to Rs 70.11 crore for the corresponding quarter last fiscal. The company’s net sales for the quarter also dipped to Rs 408.81 crore as against Rs 450.3 crore in the same quarter of the previous fiscal.

CPCL net leaps

Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd (CPCL) posted a net profit of Rs 225.62 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2007 as compared to Rs 24.35 crore for the similar quarter in the previous year.

Total income during the period increased from Rs 5,913.76 crore to Rs 7,102.99 crore. According to a company note, gross refining margin for the quarter is $8.75 a barrel against $2.65 in the previous year.

Rama Pulp sales up

Rama Pulp and Papers Ltd, a company engaged in manufacturing of specialty grades of paper, reported a 16.43% rise in net income at Rs 11.69 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2007 compared to Rs 10.04 crore in the corresponding quarter of the last year. Net profit for the quarter grew 4.52% to Rs 1.62 crore as against Rs 1.55 crore in the same period last fiscal. The earnings per share (EPS) increased to Rs 2.10 from Rs 2.01. The net sales for the nine months ended December 31, 2007 grew 17.17% to Rs 33.99 crore. Net Profit for the same period increased to Rs 4.55 crore, representing an increase of 10.96% over the same period of the last year. Mahesh Mehta, director, said, ?We are headed for exciting times on account of rising demand from industrial users .??

STFC net up 95%

Shriram Transport Finance Company Ltd (STFC), the largest asset financing NBFC in the country, reported a 94.80% growth in its net profit for the third quarter ended December 31, 2007 to Rs 107.10 crore as against Rs 54.98 crore during the same quarter last fiscal.

The revenue grew 79% to Rs 661 crore as against Rs 369.21 crore during the same quarter last fiscal, said a press release in Chennai on Wednesday.

D-Link net up 13%

Networking products company D-Link on Wednesday posted a 13.18% increase in net profit at Rs 7.04 crore for the third quarter ended on December 31, 2007, compared to Rs 6.22 crore for the corresponding quarter in 2006.

The net income of the firm rose 3.42% at Rs 78.21 crore for the quarter under review, against Rs 75.62 crore in the same period last year, D-Link informed the BSE.

Shares of the firm were trading at Rs 82, up 16.56% in the afternoon trading session on the BSE.

PVR net at Rs 6.11 cr

Multiplex cinema operator PVR Ltd on Wednesday said it has registered an over three-fold increase in net profit at Rs 6.11 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2007, against Rs 1.66 crore in the year-ago period due to strong operational performance across the cinema circuit.

Total revenue for the quarter under review stood at Rs 67.38 crore, up 62% from the comparable quarter last year.

During the quarter, the company unveiled the premium brand of multiplexes called “PVR Premier” with the launch of its property at Saket in the capital.

In this quarter, it also ventured into production with the launch of its first co-production –“Taare Zameen Par”.

“The company has shown healthy growth in its revenue and profits, driven by growth in existing cinemas as well as growth from new cinemas,” PVR Ltd chairman and managing director Ajay Bijli said.

Avaya net down 31%

Avaya global Connect Ltd announced that the company reported a fall of 31% in its net profit to Rs 6.86 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2007 against Rs 9.91 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. Net sales for the period stood at Rs 138.48 crore, against Rs 138.79 crore last year.