StockNews - Companies and their rise in earnings

Several companies announced their results recently. Some of the stellar performers include WBL Corporation HTL International. For a start, sofa and furniture maker HTL reported a 4Q05 net profit of S$18m, being above expectations and WBL announced a net profit of S$26m, again above market expectations. Meanwhile the larger giants like SembCorp Marine reported a total FY05 net earnings to be at S@121.4m, which was slightly below market expectations. This has led to slight sell-off of its shares due to shortfall in earnings. However with the order book of SembCorp Marine still full, future outlook still remains bullish for the stock.