Beckman Coulter s Q4 Revenues Increase 9 Percent

NEW YORK, Jan. 28 (GenomeWeb News) - Beckman Coulter today reported revenues of $694 million for the quarter ending Dec. 31, an increase of 9 percent over $639 million for the year-ago period.

Beckman's net earnings for the period were $60 million, down 15 percent from last year's $70 million in the fourth quarter.

The company said the drop in its net revenues was a consequence of growing sales of its diagnostic instrument systems, which should result in increased revenue in the future from the consumption of aftermarket test kits, the company said. Beckman did not give a time frame to expect the growth to come.

Beckman reported R&D expenditures of $54 million for the quarter, compared to $55 million for the year-ago quarter.

The company had cash and cash equivalents of $68 million as of Dec. 31.