Airgas Fiscal 4th-quarter Profit Falls 12 Percent

The company said it expects to earn 62 cents to 67 cents per share in the first quarter. For the full year of fiscal 2010, it expects to earn $2.60 to $2.90 per share. It warned that economic conditions "offer limited visibility into future sales and earnings, which should be taken into consideration when evaluating the Company's guidance."

Analysts are expecting a first-quarter profit of 70 cents per share and full-year earnings of $3.08 per share.

For the full year, Airgas earned $261.1 million, or $3.12 per share, up from $223.3 million, or $2.66 per share during the prior year. Revenue rose to $4.35 billion from $4.02 billion a year earlier.

Airgas shares fell 48 cents to close at $43.72 before the results were released.