Flir Systems 4th-quarter profit tops expectations

FEBRUARY 5--Flir Systems Inc. (www.flir.com), which makes thermal-imaging and stabilized camera systems for surveillance and broadcast, has said its fourth-quarter profit rose 18% as revenue from its imaging and thermography products jumped. Flir said it earned $15 million, or 44 cents per share, compared with a profit of $12.7 million, or 35 cents per share, a year earlier. Analysts, on average, expected the company to earn 40 cents per share, according to Reuters Research, a unit of Reuters Group Plc.

Fourth-quarter revenue jumped 30% to $97.4 million. Portland, OR-based Flir forecast 2004 revenue of $425 million to $435 million, and a profit of $1.50 to $1.60 per share for the year. Analysts call for the company to earn $1.49 per share, on average, according to Reuters Research.