Earnings Roundup: Briggs & Stratton, Baxter

Among the earnings stories for Thursday, April 16, from AP Financial News:

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Shares of Briggs & Stratton Corp. fell Thursday after the engine and power equipment maker posted fiscal third-quarter results that fell short of Wall Street estimates and cut its dividend in half. The company also said full-year results are likely to come in below analyst expectations.

DEERFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Specialty drug and medical device maker Baxter International Inc. said Thursday its profit climbed 20 percent in the first quarter, but like several rivals, its sales fell short of expectations due to new strength in the dollar.

DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines Co. reported a surprisingly large loss in the first quarter due to weak traffic in the recession, and the company said it was freezing hiring and offering buyouts to employees to trim its work force.

NEW YORK (AP) — Gannett Co., the largest newspaper publisher in the U.S., reported a 60 percent decline in first-quarter profit Thursday and said the decline in its advertising revenue is accelerating.

WALLINGFORD, Conn. (AP) — Amphenol Corp., which makes electronic and fiber optic connectors, said Thursday its first-quarter profit fell 22 percent as the global economic downturn weighed down sales.

CHICAGO (AP) — Paintmaker Sherwin-Williams Co. saw its first-quarter profit fall by more than half, the company said Thursday, as paint sales slowed and the dismal housing market weighed down results.