plus 3, Dollar Thrifty Automotive Posts Q4 Profit - Update - RTT News |
- Dollar Thrifty Automotive Posts Q4 Profit - Update - RTT News
- All you need to know about doorknob sets - Everett Herald
- Auto theft case plagues Merced businessman - Fresno Bee
- UPDATE:TomTom Sees Limited Mobile Competition; 4Q Beats Views - NASDAQ
| Dollar Thrifty Automotive Posts Q4 Profit - Update - RTT News Posted: 17 Feb 2010 07:22 AM PST Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it.
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Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. (DTG: News ), the holding company of Dollar Rent A Car and Thrifty Car Rental, posted a surprise profit for the fourth quarter as against a loss in the prior year. The turnaround reflected a favorable change in fair value of derivatives and lower impairment charges together with lower operating costs. The company expects industry conditions to improve slightly in 2010. Net income for the quarter was $11.46 million or $0.42 per share compared to a loss of $72.18 million or $3.36 per share in the prior-year period. Results for the quarter include a gain of $4.95 million on fair value of derivatives compared to a charge of $20.07 million last year. In addition, goodwill and long-lived asset impairments for the quarter were $1.21 million, much lower than $13.06 million last year. Excluding these items, quarterly net income was $7.72 million or $0.28 per share compared to a loss of $39.05 million or $1.82 per share in the comparable period last year. On average, three analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected a loss of $0.08 per share. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. Total revenues for the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based company dropped to $345.32 million from $355.11 million last year, primarily driven by 12.2% decrease in rental days. Revenue from vehicle rentals declined to $329.75 million from $336.73 million, while other revenue dipped to $15.58 million from $18.38 million last year. Per vehicle depreciation cost of $274 per month in the fourth quarter of 2009 was about 33% lower than the prior-year quarter. According to the company, direct vehicle and operating expenses and selling, general and administrative expenses were lower in the fourth quarter of 2009 compared to the same quarter in 2008 primarily as a result of transaction declines, cost reduction efforts and cost efficiency initiatives. Excluding special items, net income was $29.60 million or $1.24 per share, which is higher than the analysts' estimate of $0.83 per share, while the prior year loss was $40.91 million or $1.91 per share. Revenue for the full year dropped 8.9% to $1.55 billion from $1.70 billion last year. Looking ahead, the company expects vehicle rental revenues to grow 2% to 4% for the full year, resulting from low single-digit increases in both transaction days and revenue per day. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| All you need to know about doorknob sets - Everett Herald Posted: 18 Feb 2010 12:04 AM PST Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. There are two general types of doorknob assemblies: mortise-mounted and bore-mounted. Mortise-mounted hardware relies on a large, rectangular metal box to hold its moving parts. Because of its design, it must be installed into a hand-chiseled cavity that centers at the edge of the door between its inside and outside faces. This type of assembly is expensive to buy and install. Having said that, most mortise style door hardware is of the very highest quality and function. The lock actions are smoother, more secure and have several features that enhance ease of use and smooth operation. Bore-mounted hardware costs less to install because drilling is used instead of chiseling. A drilled installation can literally cut hours off a mortised installation. The knobs (or levers) are made of thinner and less expensive metals giving them a flimsy, tinny feel. And if the knob includes a key lock, the less expensive ones can be easily opened by most amateur burglars. If the door hardware you're considering is under $25, chances are the finish will begin to wear off in two or three years. There are two basic styles of bore-mounted hardware: 1) exposed mounting screw type and, 2) the concealed mounting screw type. You can tell which type you have by looking at the escutcheon (trim ring) between the knob and the door. If you can see screw heads in one of the trim rings, you have the exposed mounting screw type. If screws are not visible, then you have the concealed type. Concealed-screw hardware is better looking. With exposed screw hardware, when screw pressure is applied to the trim plate to hold it tightly in place, there is a chance of bending the finished surface. Leaving the screws loose enough to prevent damage to the trim plate can result in the frequent need to retighten the hardware — a nuisance at best. For less maintenance and a cleaner appearance, concealed screw doorknob assemblies are superior. The locking method also is another consideration. There are two basic choices: Manual relock, must be relocked with a key or the twist of a lever each time it is unlocked with a key. This is the best type of lockset for a bedroom or a bathroom where you don't want to be accidentally locked out. The auto relock type is preferred for exterior doors where you don't want to have to remember to relock the door once you've let yourself into your home. For tips from James and Morris Carey, go to www.onthehouse.com or call the listener hot line, 800-737-2474, ext. 59. The Careys are also on KRKO (1380-AM) from 6 to 10 a.m. every Saturday. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Auto theft case plagues Merced businessman - Fresno Bee Posted: 18 Feb 2010 12:04 AM PST Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. Judge Brian McCabe set an April 6 court date to decide whether to accept the motion. According to court documents, Wright says he repeatedly tried to make arrangements with the dealership and the leasing company to return the car, to no avail. Regardless, Wright's attorney, Tom Gillis, said his client has always denied the charges and never unlawfully took the car from the Fresno dealership. Prosecutors have said they have ample evidence to convict Wright, including a taped phone call Wright placed from the Merced County Jail to his girlfriend in Mexico. During that phone call, Wright told the woman, "Black needs to take a permanent vacation," referring to the Mercedes. Wright's wife, Karen Rene Wright, disappeared in early February 2009. The last time her family members heard from her was a phone call placed from Mexico on Feb. 9 last year. Merced County sheriff's detectives ruled the case a homicide in September. Although no suspects have ever been named in Karen Wright's disappearance, Randal Wright remains a "person of interest" in the Sheriff's Department's investigation. The couple, who'd been married 12 years, had owned two houses in San Felipe. Karen Wright had filed for divorce in October 2008. Karen Wright's mother, Sonja Barnes, said her daughter suspected her husband may have been violating a court order prohibiting him from doing construction work on one of their homes until the divorce was final. The month of her disappearance, she'd gone to check on the house. Kim Stewart, the sister of Karen Wright, said Randal Wright was already in Mexico when her sister went there to check on the home. Karen Wright isn't the first person connected to Randal Wright's RTS Towing to disappear under mysterious circumstances. Two tow truck drivers who worked for Wright's company vanished Dec. 17, 1993. No one has been named as a suspect in the men's disappearance, which is now considered a double homicide case. Last year, sheriff's investigators said they were also reviewing the circumstances surrounding the 1982 drowning of Randal Wright's 6-year-old stepson. Wright was never charged with any crime related to the drowning. Although Randal Wright has never been considered a suspect in his wife's disappearance, sheriff's spokesman Tom MacKenzie said there's no shortage of strange circumstances around him. "It seems like a lot of bad luck surrounds Mr. Wright," MacKenzie said. Gillis, Randal Wright's attorney, said there's nothing to indicate his client had anything to do with his wife's disappearance -- and he's repeatedly denied having any involvement. "He's just as mystified and worried about it as anyone," Gillis said. "There's no connection with him and the missing wife." RTS Towing closed last year, and Randal Wright said in court documents that he's filed for bankruptcy. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| UPDATE:TomTom Sees Limited Mobile Competition; 4Q Beats Views - NASDAQ Posted: 18 Feb 2010 12:33 AM PST Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. (Adds detail, CEO comments) By Robin van Daalen Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES AMSTERDAM -(Dow Jones)- Dutch navigation equipment maker TomTom NV (TOM2.AE) Thursday posted a better-than-expected net profit in the fourth quarter, but said it expects revenue and earnings per share to be broadly flat in 2010. Net profit came in at EUR73 million in the quarter ending Dec. 31, from a EUR989 million net loss a year earlier when it took a EUR1.05 billion impairment charge on mapmaker TeleAtlas. Analysts had forecast net profit of EUR50.2 million. The company benefitted from cost cutting and growth in sales to car manufacturers, fleet management services and map and traffic subscriptions and the company's Apple Inc (AAPL) iPhone software application. Sales rose 1% to EUR533 million in the fourth quarter, compared with EUR528 million a year ago, beating the EUR489 million forecast by analysts. TomTom said its business outside traditional navigation devices rose to EUR81 million from EUR29 million a year earlier. Over the past year, TomTom has been confronted by a slump in consumer demand for electronic products, causing a drop in sales and prices. Recently, TomTom shares were hit hard after both Google Inc. (GOOG) and Nokia Corp. (NOK) said they will offer free turn-by-turn navigation on mobile phones in what appeared to amount to a major threat to TomTom's business. However, Chief Executive Harold Goddijn said developments in the area represented new opportunities for the company. "The industry we operate in is going through substantial change. Increasingly, digital maps are being deployed in the battle for mobile phone screens, either via smartphone or mobile Internet applications," Goddijn said. He said he expects limited impact from this on TomTom's current revenue streams from personal navigation devices, automotive and fleet management. "The demand for applications that use location will grow across all markets and all geographies, and we see new opportunities for partnerships and business models, particularly in the mobile space," he said. Still, TomTom expects revenue and earnings per share to be flat in 2010. "We expects the volume of personal navigation devices sold in 2010 to be more or less flat," Goddijn told reporters during a conference call, adding he expects the average price of the units to further decline. In 2009, TomTom sold 11.6 million personal navigation devices, or PNDs, for an average price of EUR93 a unit, which is a decline of 21% compared to a year earlier. TomTom's main rival in the PND market is Cayman Islands-based Garmin Ltd ( GRMN). Garmin is market leader in the U.S., while TomTom is the biggest player in Europe. Still, TomTom grew its U.S. market share to 29% from 20% in the third quarter. TomTom cut EUR127 million in operating expenses in 2009, exceeding its original target for savings of EUR90 million to offset the slump in demand caused by the recession. In the fourth quarter, TomTom trimmed marketing expenses by 50% compared with a year earlier, while research and development costs fell by 4%. Selling, general and administrative costs were 14% lower. Since the start of the year TomTom shares have lost around 13% of their value, while the benchmark AEX lost around 3.5%. -By Robin van Daalen; Dow Jones Newswires; +31-20-5715200; robin.vandaalen@ dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires 02-18-100324ET Copyright (c) 2010 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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