Earnings roundup: MasterCard, Timberland

Among the earnings stories for Thursday, Feb. 5, from AP Financial News:

NEW YORK (AP) _ MasterCard Inc. reported a fourth-quarter profit Thursday that easily beat analysts' expectations as it pared expenses and customers continued to move toward paying bills with debit and credit cards, instead of cash.

STRATHAM, N.H. (AP) _ Apparel and footwear maker Timberland Co. said Thursday its fourth-quarter profit slid 46 percent as sales declined amid a consumer spending pullback.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) _ Power generator Duke Energy Corp. said Thursday that its fourth-quarter profit rose 36 percent as unusually cold weather drove demand for energy despite a big drop in industrial demand in the Midwest and Carolina as the recession took hold.

HARTSVILLE, S.C. (AP) _ Packaging company Sonoco Products Co. said Thursday its fourth-quarter profit fell by more than a third as lower volumes and a stronger dollar offset higher prices.

HOUSTON (AP) _ Natural gas transport and storage company Spectra Energy Corp. said Thursday its fourth-quarter profit dropped 41 percent as sales fell across its business units.

NEW YORK (AP) _ Brookfield Properties Corp. reported Thursday a 2 percent increase in funds from operations in the fourth quarter on higher average rents and a tax benefit, and offered guidance for 2009 that was slightly above current Wall Street estimates.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) _ Western Union Co. said Thursday its profit fell in the fourth quarter on slower demand for money transfers and bill payments.

HOUSTON (AP) _ Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc., an offshore contract oil and natural gas driller, said Thursday its fourth-quarter profit surged 78 percent due to a significant boost in contract drilling revenue, but results still missed analyst expectations.

DANVERS, Mass. (AP) _ Heart treatment products maker Abiomed Inc. said its fiscal third-quarter loss shrank 7 percent, but its revenue fell short of analyst expectations and shares plunged.

NEW YORK (AP) _ Burger King Holdings Inc. said Thursday that its profit dropped 10 percent in its fiscal second quarter as foreign currencies yielded fewer dollars. The nation's No. 2 hamburger chain also cut its full-year earnings forecast.