• Honda Motor Company (fiscal Q4)
Honda posted a 37% fall in net profit to ¥74.1 billion ($674.6m; €569.51m; £380.30m) for the three months ended March 31, compared year-on-year with ¥116.7bn. Sales rose to ¥2.14 trillion from ¥2.13 trillion.
Operating income fell 43% to ¥137.1 billion from ¥241.7 billion, with earnings reported in line with US generally accepted accounting principles.
Globally, Honda's sales for the quarter rose 1.7% to 793,000 vehicles.
• McDonald's Corporation (calendar Q1)
The company's sixteen-month turnround hit new heights in the first quarter, with earnings up 56% on a 16% increase in revenue.
Earnings for the first quarter rose year-on-year to $511.5 million (€431.83m; £288.35m) from $327.4m. The prior year included a substantial accounting change. Excluding that factor, profit rose 40%.
McDonald's earlier this month said it expected to report earnings per share of 40 cents -- a figure it bettered by 3 cents.
• Sony Corporation (calendar year 2003)
The globe's second-largest consumer electronics manufacturer reported annual net profit down year-on-year by 23%, largely attributable to restructuring costs.
The company expects to begin recouping the losses this year in a recovery driven by rising demand for its home-entertainment products.
Group net profit of ¥88.5bn ($806.11m; €680.52m; £454.45m) in 2003, compared with ¥115bn the previous year. Operating profit sagged 47%, from ¥185bn to ¥98.9bn.
A further ¥130bn in restructuring costs are forecast as part of Sony's three-year, ¥335bn plan to shed up to 20,000 jobs worldwide, and to introduce liquid crystal display, flat-screen TV sets and other products.
Data sourced from multiple origins; additional content by WARC staff
