Owens & Minor raises profit guidance for the year

Owens & Minor Inc., a distributor of medical and surgical supplies, said Monday that it is raising its earnings-per-share guidance for the year and maintaining its previously announced revenue outlook.

The company said it expects to earn $2.30 to $2.40 a share, up from the previous range of $2.20 to $2.30.

It continues to expect its annual revenue growth will be in the 5 to 7 percent range.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expect Owens & Minor to earn $2.31 per share on revenue of $7.17 billion, which would represent growth of about 6 percent over 2007 revenue.