Earnings Announcements

Feb 21- Safeway Inc, the second-largest U.S. supermarket chain, on Thursday reported higher profit, helped by its new shopper loyalty programs. The operator of supermarkets such as Safeway, Vons and Dominick's said fourth-quarter income from continuing operations was $244 million, or $1.06 per share, up from $215.6 million, or 67 cents per share, a year earlier.

SAO PAULO, Feb 21- Gerdau SA cut its five-year investment plan by 17 percent, as the world's No. 2 maker of steel for builders faces global economic uncertainty and slumping profits.

Carlyle's private equity arm, which accounted for about a third of its assets but about two-thirds of its profits, was mostly responsible for the earnings drop, bucking a trend among peers Blackstone Group LP, KKR& Co LP and Apollo Global Management LLC.

Feb 21- Fifth& Pacific Cos Inc on Thursday reported a holiday-quarter profit that came in slightly above its own projections and reaffirmed its recent 2013 forecast.

Feb 21- Chesapeake Energy Corp reported a quarterly profit that topped Wall Street views on Thursday, helped in part by lower-than-expected expenses. The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, company posted a profit of $257 million, or 39 cents per share, in the fourth quarter, compared with $429 million, or 63 cents per share, in the same period a year earlier.

Feb 21- Zale Corp on Thursday posted a better than expected holiday quarter profit, as sales rose at its flagship chain and it cut selling and administrative costs. Zale restated its forecast that it will return to profit for the fiscal year ending in late July. Zale has lost money on an annual basis for several years.

SAO PAULO, Feb 21- Gerdau SA cut its five-year investment plan by 17 percent, as the world's No. 2 maker of steel for builders faces global economic uncertainty and slumping profits. "Considering the uncertainties clouding the global economic scenario, Gerdau is now turning more selective on the evaluation of future capital expenditure plans," it said.

Feb 21- Carlyle Group LP said on Thursday fourth-quarter earnings were down 28 percent as the private equity firm failed to beat last year's performance of exiting investments and relied more on company dividends to return money to investors.

Feb 21- Wal-Mart Stores Inc posted a larger-than-expected rise in quarterly profit on Thursday, as a lower-than-anticipated tax rate helped to overcome some weakness in sales at its major Walmart U.S. unit that persisted into the beginning of February.

The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, company posted a profit of $257 million, or 39 cents per share, in the fourth quarter, compared with $429 million, or 63 cents per share, in the same period a year earlier.

*Fourth-quarter adj EPS $0.10 vs $0.13 year earlier. Feb 21- Bombardier Inc reported a 93 percent drop in quarterly profit after taking a restructuring charge, and said entry-into-service of its Learjet 85 business aircraft has been delayed to the summer of 2014 due to several technology issues.

Feb 21- Plane and train maker Bombardier Inc reported a 93 percent drop in fourth-quarter profit after taking a restructuring charge of $119 million. The company's net profit fell to $14 million, from $214 million a year earlier. On an adjusted basis, net income fell to $188 million, or 10 cents per share, from $227 million, or 13 cents per share, a year earlier.