The gain reverses a year-ago loss, which was only the second since we began tracking major public companies on a quarterly basis. Return-on-Sales (ROS) was a modest 4 per cent. Three of four sectors showed improvement in profitability. Apparel was the lone exception, hampered by the struggling fortunes of three of eight firms.

Our quarterly survey tracked the results of 49 public companies for the fiscal quarter nearest to Sep. 30. On an overall basis, sales for firms rose 1 per cent. Equipment led all sectors ... Log in to view full article.