Electronic Arts Inc. (ERTS) announced after market close Thursday a tenfold surge in its quarterly earnings, driven by rising sales. The Redwood City, California-based U.S. No.1 publisher of video games rolled out a net profit of $90 million, or 29 cents a share, for its fiscal 2004 fourth quarter, in contrast to a net profit of $9.24 million, or 3 cents a share, for the corresponding quarter a year ago. Excluding items, earnings came to $77.2 million, or 25 cents a share, in the quarter ended March 31, up 30% from $59.2 million, or 20 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. Electronic Arts posted revenue of $598.4 million for the quarter, compared with $463.1 million, in 2003. Results were well above analysts’ expectations for earnings before items of 21 cents a share, on revenue of $571.6 million. For all of 2004, EA said it earned $577.3 million, on revenue of $2.96 billion, against earnings of $317.1 million on revenue of $2.48 billion, in fiscal 2003.

Looking ahead, EA forecast first-quarter earnings of break-even to 5 cents a share, on revenue in the range of $390 million to $430 million.

EA shares shed 86 cents on Thursday to $49.95. The stock rose 1.90% to $50.90 in after-hours trading.

Aetna Inc. (AET) of Hartford, Connecticut, said before the bell Thursday that its quarterly profits rose from a year ago, citing membership growth and reduced operating expenses. The health insurer posted first-quarter net income of $365.8 million, or $2.28 per share, up from $330 million, or $2.12 per share, generated in the same period last year. Excluding items, the company said it had a profit of $1.75 per share in the first quarter, surpassing by 3 cents per share Wall Street’s average forecast. Quarterly revenue climbed to $4.82 billion from $4.47 billion, in 2003.

Aetna shares dived 4.59% to $83.72 at market close Thursday.

Gateway, Inc. (GTW) posted Thursday a narrower first-quarter net loss of $165.5 million, or 49 cents a share, compared with a net loss of $200.5 million, or 62 cents a share, for the comparable period in 2003. The Poway, California-based PC maker attributed the results to cost cuts. Excluding items, first-quarter loss was 22 cents per share. Revenue rose to $868.3 million in the quarter, from $844.5 million a year earlier. Analysts were looking for a loss of 20 cents a share, excluding items, on revenue of $800.4 million.

The stock dipped 2.57% to close Thursday at $5.31. Gateway shares dropped 11 cents to $5.20 in after-market trade.

McKesson Corporation (MCK), the leading pharmaceuticals distributor in the U.S., reported Thursday a fourth-quarter profit of $214.2 million, or 73 cents a share, up from a prior-year profit of $179.0 million, or 61 cents a share. Results of the San Francisco, California-based company glided past analysts’ projections for a profit of 65 cents a share, on average. McKesson said the profit increase was due to higher revenue, which rose 20% in the quarter to $17.94 billion from $14.89 billion, a year ago.

Company shares closed Thursday at $30.09, down 15 cents, or 0.50%.

Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) of Irving, Texas, said before market open Thursday that its quarterly income slipped 23% from a year earlier, when results reflected a big gain from asset sales. The world’s second-largest integrated oil firm announced net earnings of $5.44 billion, or 83 cents per share, for its first quarter, compared with earnings of $7.04 billion, $1.05 per share, last year. Excluding items, year-ago earnings were $4.79 billion, or 71 cents per share. Exxon Mobil recorded revenue of $67.6 billion in the quarter, up 6% from $63.8 billion in 2003, helped by higher energy prices and increased production.

The stock slipped 1.35% to close Thursday at $42.54. Company shares inched up 6 cents to $42.60 in after-hours trading.

The Dow Chemical Company (DOW) on Thursday turned in first-quarter net income of $469 million, or 50 cents a share, a six-fold jump from year-earlier net income of $76 million, or 8 cents a share. The Midland, Michigan-based chemical company said quarterly revenue advanced 15% to $9.31 billion, driven by solid sales of farm chemicals and plastics and an 8% increase in prices. The consensus analysts’ estimate was for a profit of 43 cents per share.

Dow shares slid 3.05% to $39.67 at market close Thursday.

Ameren Corporation (AEE) of St. Louis, Missouri, posted Thursday lower quarterly profits, citing mild winter weather and higher fuel costs. The utility company said it had a first-quarter profit of $97 million, or 55 cents a share, down from a profit of $101 million, or 63 cents a share, in the 2003 equivalent. Results, however, outpaced the average analysts’ forecast of a profit of 44 cents a share.

The stock dropped 22 cents to close Thursday at $43.59.

Loews Corporation (LTR) reported Thursday net income of $43.6 million, or 5 cents per share, for its fiscal first quarter, down from net income of $190.0 million, or 87 cents per share, in the same period a year ago. The New York-based conglomerate said profit drop was due to a loss from its CNA Financial Corp. insurance unit. Total revenue plunged 12% to $3.49 billion in the quarter.

Loews shares closed Thursday up 24 cents, or 0.41%, at $58.40.

Ingram Micro Inc. (IM) of Santa Ana, California, announced Thursday quarterly earnings that more than tripled from last year, driven by strong demand for technology products. The world’s top distributor of computer products posted net income of $37.6 million, or 24 cents a share, for its first quarter, against net income of $10.1 million, or 7 cents a share, in the first quarter of 2003. Revenue climbed 15% to $6.28 billion, from $5.47 billion a year earlier, aided by the weak dollar.

The stock plunged 4.29% to $16.08 at market close Thursday. Company shares gained 20 cents to $16.28 in after-market trade.

Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. (VSEA) said Thursday that its second-quarter net earnings more than doubled to $14 million, or 38 cents a share, from net earnings of $5.5 million, or 16 cents a share, in the 2003 equivalent. The Gloucester, Massachusetts-based provider of microchip-manufacturing equipment cited improving demand from chip makers as main factor for the profit rise. Quarterly revenue was $127.3 million, up from $111.2 million a year ago.