Earnings roundup

Three companies based in Utah or with ties to the state reported quarterly financial reports Tuesday.

Myriad Genetics

Salt Lake-based biopharmaceutical company Myriad Genetics Inc. reported a net loss of $8 million, or 22 cents per share, for the quarter ended Dec. 31. That compares with a loss of $10 million, or 33 cents per share, for the same quarter a year earlier.

The company said the reduction in the net loss was due in large part to an increased contribution from its profitable predictive-medicine business.

The consensus Wall Street expectation for the company was to lose 32 cents per share during the most recent quarter.

Revenues in the fiscal 2006 second quarter grew to a company-record $27.3 million, up from $19.6 million a year earlier. The increase was largely attributable to a jump in predictive-medicine revenues, which climbed $5.9 million from the $17.5 million figure in the prior-year period. Research revenues increased 87 percent to $3.9 million.

At the end of the quarter, Myriad had about $235 million in cash, cash equivalents and marketable investment securities and had no debt or convertible securities.

Myriad stock rose $1.42, or 6.7 percent, Tuesday to close at $22.50 per share on Nasdaq. During the past year, the price has ranged from $15.06 to $25.80.

Usana

Salt Lake-based Usana Health Sciences Inc. reported company-record net income of $10.5 million, or 54 cents per share, for the fiscal fourth quarter of 2005. That compares with $9.2 million, or 46 cents per share, in the same period a year earlier.

The earnings bettered the Wall Street consensus expectation of 52 cents per share.

For the quarter ended Dec. 31, the company reported sales of $86.9 million, up from $75.1 million in the prior-year period.

For the full year, Usana reported company-record net income of $39 million, or $1.98 per share, on record net sales of $327.7 million. That compares with $30.8 million, or $1.51 per share, on sales of $272.8 million in the previous fiscal year.

Wall Street had expected the company to have earnings of $1.95 per share for the full year.

The company said it will begin expensing equity compensation, which will decrease earnings per share by about 3 cents in the 2006 first quarter and about 14 cents for the full year.