Earnings roundup: Whiting Petroleum, Mercury General

Among the earnings stories for Monday, May 5, from AP Financial News:

DENVER (AP) _ Whiting Petroleum Corp. said Monday its first-quarter profit jumped on an increase in prices and production.

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Mercury General Corp., which primarily provides homeowners and auto insurance, said Monday it swung to a loss for the first quarter, due to nearly $60 million in losses on investments and a decline in written premiums.

ABINGDON, Va. (AP) _ Coal producer Alpha Natural Resources Inc. said Monday its first-quarter earnings more than tripled on surging exports and soaring prices.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) _ Buckeye Technologies Inc., a specialty fibers maker, on Monday reported a rise in fiscal third-quarter profit, due to a tax benefit and a jump in sales.

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. (AP) _ Hewitt Associates Inc.'s profit more than tripled in the fiscal second quarter as the outsourcer and consultant bought other companies and added new clients, the company said Monday.

BILLERICA, Mass. (AP) _ X-ray technology and molecular analysis company Bruker Corp. said Monday it swung to a loss in the first quarter, weighed down by acquisition-related expenses and foreign currency exchange losses.