Earnings Roundup: Heinz; Nordstrom; H-P

Among the earnings stories for Thursday, Feb. 21, from the AP Financial Desk:

Top stories:

NEW YORK (AP) ⿿ As go the fortunes of many Americans, so goes Wal-Mart's, and so goes the economy.

Even as the world's largest retailer on Thursday reported a nearly 9 percent rise in fourth-quarter profit during the busy holiday shopping season, it offered a weaker forecast for the coming months. The problem? The poor and middle-class Americans that Wal-Mart caters to ⿿ and who are big drivers of spending in the U.S. ⿿ are struggling with rising gas prices, delayed income tax refunds and higher payroll taxes.

NEW YORK (AP) ⿿ American International Group lost $4 billion in the last three months of 2012 as the insurer absorbed costs related to damage caused by Superstorm Sandy and the sale of its airplane leasing unit.

PITTSBURGH (AP) ⿿ Food maker H.J. Heinz says its fiscal third quarter net income fell 5 percent as gains in emerging markets were offset by costs related to selling a frozen food business in China.

SEATTLE (AP) ⿿ Nordstrom said Thursday its fourth-quarter net income rose 20 percent as high-end shoppers kept spending on clothing and makeup, and customers responded positively to its service improvements.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ⿿ Slumping personal computer maker Hewlett-Packard Co.'s latest quarterly results provided a glimmer of hope after months of gloomy news.

Other stories:

OAK BROOK, Ill. (AP) ⿿ TreeHouse Foods Inc. reported fourth-quarter net income that beat market expectations Thursday as the food manufacturer's sales improved. The company also said the challenges of rising food costs and grocery-industry issues that weighed on it in 2012 appear to moderating.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) ⿿ Home shopping network operator HSN Inc. reported Thursday that its fourth-quarter profit jumped on an increase in revenue as consumers bought more of its goods.

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