Earnings roundup: Sonic, Yahoo

Among the earnings stories for Tuesday, Oct. 20, from AP Financial News:

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Sonic Corp. said that its fourth-quarter and yearly 2009 profit fell as sales dropped by a double-digit percentage during a tough year for the restaurant industry.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yahoo Inc. may finally be pulling out of a three-year slump that cast aside two CEOs and spurred a cost-costing spree that laid off about 2,000 workers.

FOSTER CITY, Calif. (AP) — Drug developer Gilead Sciences Inc. reported another quarter of better-than-expected financial results, as sales of HIV treatments and royalties on swine flu drug Tamiflu drove a 36 percent boost in third-quarter profit.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Peabody Energy Corp. said its third-quarter profits plunged 71 percent as cooler weather and cheap natural gas curtailed coal-fired power generation. But the performance soundly topped expectations and the company offered a rosier production outlook.

DOVER, Del. (AP) — The millions in cost cuts made by DuPont drove profits higher in the third quarter. Now all the chemical maker needs is for sales to rebound.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — M&T Bank Corp. said its third-quarter profit rose 25 percent on growth in interest income and money flowing in from fees.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Managed care company UnitedHealth Group Inc. saw itsthird-quarter profit jump 13 percent, as growth in several businesses helped balance another enrollment decline and fight off a touch of swine flu.