Earnings roundup: Playboy Ent., Allied Capital

Among the earnings stories for Monday, May 11, from AP Financial News:

NEW YORK (AP) _ Executives at Playboy's parent company are considering cutting the magazine's frequency, reducing circulation or raising prices in order to save the money-losing publication.

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Allied Capital, which provides financing for buyouts, acquisitions and other business transactions, on Monday said its first-quarter loss ballooned to more than eight times its loss a year earlier.

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) _ Memory chip maker Stec Inc. said its first-quarter profit grew, boosted by higher sales that surpassed Wall Street's expectations.

SAN DIEGO (AP) _ Cytori Therapeutics Inc., which makes products used in adult stem cell harvesting and research, on Monday reported a narrower loss for the first quarter of the year.

BURLINGTON, Mass. (AP) _ Speech and imaging software maker Nuance Communications Inc. posted a fiscal second-quarter profit Monday, reversing a year-earlier loss as revenue grew and costs declined.

NEW YORK (AP) _ Care Investment Trust Inc., a real estate investment trust that invests in healthcare-related real estate and commercial mortgage debt, said Monday that rental revenue lifted its profit in the first quarter.