Lucent Technologies Inc. reported a fiscal fourth-quarter loss of $597 million, or 92 cents per share, compared with earnings of $255 million, or 40 cents per share, in the year-earlier period. But when costs associated with Lucent’s acquisition of Octel Communications Corp. are disregarded, Lucent’s fourth-quarter profits were up 45 percent, to $369 million, or 57 cents per share.
The telecommunications manufacturer, which is based in Murray Hill, N.J., but has 10,500 employees in the Lisle/Naperville area, said revenues in the quarter, ended Sept. 30, rose 17 percent, to $6.93 billion from $5.92 billion.
For the fiscal year, earnings fell 49 percent, to $541 million, or 84 cents per share, from $1.05 billion, or $1.65 per share, in fiscal 1996. But excluding the Octel acquisition, profits rose 43 percent, to $1.51 billion, or $2.34 per share. Annual revenue rose 13 percent, to $26.36 billion from $23.29 billion.
