Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

Wednesday 2 august 2017 BUSINESS
A24

Sprint posts rare profit, says a deal may be coming soon

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) ness around, and CEO deal with one of the differ- “bigger play.” The compa- and the return this year of
— Sprint said Tuesday that Marcelo Claure said on a ent players.” ny is having discussions with unlimited-data plans. Sprint
it should be able to “strike a call with analysts Tuesday Earlier this week, cable other companies, he said. has offered some big pro-
deal” in the “near future,” that it could “sustain itself” company Charter said it A deal with rival T-Mobile motions recently, like a
driving up shares of the alone. But he said that the was not interested in buy- has long been predicted. year of free service.
fourth-largest U.S. wireless cost savings and potential ing Sprint after published Sprint has long sought a In its latest quarter, Sprint
carrier. benefits of hooking up with reports said Sprint had pro- deal as it is unprofitable added 88,000 customers
The Overland Park, Kansas, another phone company posed an acquisition by and the wireless market has that pay a monthly bill, its
company also posted its or a cable company would Charter. gotten more competitive. most lucrative customers,
first quarterly profit in three leave Sprint in a better po- Claure said he was “a bit Most Americans already versus 173,000 the year be-
years as it cut costs. sition. Claure said that “we surprised” to see that an- have a cellphone, and fore. It gained prepaid cus-
Debt-heavy Sprint has think in the near future, we nouncement and that carriers have been trying tomers compared with a
been trying to turn its busi- should be able to strike a Charter talks were part of a to lure them with discounts loss the year before.q

Summertime blues: July worst month of year for US auto sales

By DEE-ANN DURBIN of 17.1 million sales.
AP Auto Writer Mark LaNeve, Ford Motor
DETROIT (AP) — July saw Co.’s U.S. sales chief, said
the biggest year-over-year automakers have been
decline in U.S. vehicle sales preparing for lower U.S.
so far this year, leaving sales this year. He doesn’t
automakers to hope that see July as an acceleration
consumers are just waiting of the downward trend. He
to pounce on Labor Day said GM’s decision to cut
deals. sales to low-profit rental
U.S. sales of new cars and car fleets by 81 percent —
trucks fell 7 percent to 1.4 or 11,200 vehicles — was
million in July, according to a big factor. Ford also cut
Autodata Corp. It was the fleet sales by 26 percent,
seventh straight month of and had to stop sales of its
lower sales, and the big- Transit commercial van for
gest percentage drop so a few weeks while it per-
far this year. formed a recall.
July is often a slower month “We’re still operating at a
as buyers vacation and very high level,” LaNeve
wait for dealers to offer said. Automakers continue
model year clearance Car shopper Mary Jean Jones speaks with Mark Miller Toyota salesman Doug Lund, in Salt Lake to see healthy profits thanks
events in August and Sep- City. U.S. sales of new cars and trucks were expected to show a decline in July 2017 as consumers to consumers’ preference
tember. This year, big cuts pulled back on purchases and waited for Labor Day deals. July likely marked the seventh straight for SUVs. Car shopping site
month of declines in a peaking market.
in sales to rental car fleets (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) Edmunds.com said the av-
and commercial custom- erage price paid for a new
ers were also a factor. Chrysler’s sales declined Subaru’s were up 7 per- lion last year. vehicle in July was $34,558,
Hyundai, for example, cut 10 percent. Volkswagen’s cent. July’s pace would put an- 2 percent higher than the
its fleet sales by 77 percent sales fell 5.8 percent, while Analysts have been pre- nual sales at 16.7 million. same month a year ago.
in July. Nissan’s sales fell 3 percent. dicting lower U.S. sales this That was lower than ex- GM said sales of its recently
General Motors said its sales Honda’s sales were down year as demand levels out pected for Alec Gutierrez, updated GMC Acadia SUV
fell 15 percent in July, while 1.2 percent. after an unprecedented a senior market analyst with jumped 30 percent, while
Hyundai’s dropped 28 per- Two major automakers seven straight years of the car shopping site Kelley sales of Toyota’s RAV4 SUV
cent. Ford’s sales were bucked the trend. Toyota’s growth. U.S. new vehicle Blue Book. Still, he’s main- rose 36 percent to 41,804, a
down 7.5 percent. Fiat sales rose 3.6 percent while sales hit a record 17.55 mil- taining his full-year forecast monthly record.q

Key drug sales push Pfizer profit up 50 percent

By LINDA A. JOHNSON numerous lucrative drugs growth strategy — as it cents per share beat ana- Pfizer’s patented-protect-
AP Medical Writer will be approved over the waits for the administration lysts’ average estimate by ed drugs by 8 percent, to
Rising sales of most key next half-decade. Still, and Congress to enact tax two cents. $7.67 billion. Pfizer’s essen-
drugs, lower one-time cheaper generic compe- reform. He said that would The New York drugmaker tial health segment, which
charges and reduced tition continues to gnaw affect the valuation of as- posted revenue of $12.9 sells older products that are
manufacturing costs away at Pfizer’s revenue, sets at Pfizer and potential billion, down 2 percent and mostly off patent, had sales
helped drive Pfizer’s sec- which fell short of analyst purchase targets. below forecasts for $13.02 drop 14 percent to $5.23
ond-quarter profit up 50 expectations. The Viagra maker reported billion. billion.
percent. Meanwhile, CEO Ian Read quarterly profit of $3.07 bil- Top sellers including new Their sales were led by Lipi-
The top U.S. drugmaker told analysts during a con- lion, or 51 cents per share, breast cancer drug Ibrance tor, the cholesterol-fighting
beat Wall Street profit fore- ference call Tuesday that up from $2.05 billion, or 33 and blood thinner Eliquis pill that reigned as the
casts, tweaked its own 2017 Pfizer is avoiding any big cents per share, a year ear- produced higher sales, world’s top seller for a de-
forecast, and predicted acquisitions — long its chief lier. Adjusted income of 67 helping lift revenue from cade. q