Reporting fourth-quarter earnings after market close Thursday, the company posted a profit of $2.3 billion, or 40 cents a share, compared with a profit of $234 million, or four cents a share, for the year-earlier period. Revenue was $10.6 billion, up from $8.2 billion for the same quarter in the year-earlier period.

A strong showing for Intel and one that blows the doors off consensus estimates that called for 30 cents a share in profit on revenue of $10.17 billion. And don’t forget that these results include a European Commission fine of $1.45 billion and a $1.25 billion settlement agreement with AMD (AMD).

“Curb your enthusiasm [for Intel]” Bank of America (BAC) analyst Sumit Dhanda told clients in a research note issued Wednesday that warned of a revenue miss from the chip behemoth. Curb your enthusiasm? Not likely after today’s results.

“Intel’s strong 2009 results reflect our investment in industry-leading manufacturing and product innovation,” Intel CEO Paul Otellini said in an earnings release. “This strategy has enabled us to generate unprecedented operating efficiencies while growing our traditional businesses and creating exciting new market opportunities, even in difficult economic times.”

Taking a wide view, Otellini adds, “Our ability to weather this business cycle demonstrates that microprocessors are indispensable in our modern world. Looking forward, we plan to deliver the benefits of computing to an expanding set of products, markets and customers.”

Looking ahead to the first quarter of 2010, Intel expects revenue of $9.7 billion, plus or minus $400 million. Evidently, the PC market is back.

Reporting fourth-quarter earnings after market close Thursday, the company posted a profit of $2.3 billion, or 40 cents a share, compared with a profit of $234 million, or four cents a share, for the year-earlier period. Revenue was $10.6 billion, up from $8.2 billion for the same quarter in the year-earlier period.

A strong showing for Intel and one that blows the doors off consensus estimates that called for 30 cents a share in profit on revenue of $10.17 billion. And don’t forget that these results include a European Commission fine of $1.45 billion and a $1.25 billion settlement agreement with AMD (AMD).

“Curb your enthusiasm [for Intel]” Bank of America (BAC) analyst Sumit Dhanda told clients in a research note issued Wednesday that warned of a revenue miss from the chip behemoth. Curb your enthusiasm? Not likely after today’s results.

“Intel’s strong 2009 results reflect our investment in industry-leading manufacturing and product innovation,” Intel CEO Paul Otellini said in an earnings release. “This strategy has enabled us to generate unprecedented operating efficiencies while growing our traditional businesses and creating exciting new market opportunities, even in difficult economic times.”

Taking a wide view, Otellini adds, “Our ability to weather this business cycle demonstrates that microprocessors are indispensable in our modern world. Looking forward, we plan to deliver the benefits of computing to an expanding set of products, markets and customers.”

Looking ahead to the first quarter of 2010, Intel expects revenue of $9.7 billion, plus or minus $400 million. Evidently, the PC market is back.

With revenue in its electronic measurement unit down roughly 30 percent from 2008 to the lowest level in Agilent’s 10-year history, the company had little choice but to “resize” that business. “For Agilent to realize its full potential, we must have a financially healthy company and a solidly profitable Electronic Measurement business,” said Bill Sullivan, Agilent president and chief executive officer. “We will move quickly to resize the EM businesses to the new business levels, align resources to the best market opportunities, and position the company for the new economic environment. We have been very aggressive to date in addressing the downturn in electronic measurement markets. However, business remains severely depressed, and there are no prospects for a meaningful recovery in the foreseeable future.”

Ugly news, especially since “foreseeable future” translates to “until 2011-2013,” according to Agilent (A) CFO Adrian Dillon. “We don’t expect (demand) to come back any time soon, so we’ve got to fundamentally change the cost structure,” he told Reuters. “We will not see a 2008 level of activity at least for two to four years.”

[Image credit: someecards]

With revenue in its electronic measurement unit down roughly 30 percent from 2008 to the lowest level in Agilent’s 10-year history, the company had little choice but to “resize” that business. “For Agilent to realize its full potential, we must have a financially healthy company and a solidly profitable Electronic Measurement business,” said Bill Sullivan, Agilent president and chief executive officer. “We will move quickly to resize the EM businesses to the new business levels, align resources to the best market opportunities, and position the company for the new economic environment. We have been very aggressive to date in addressing the downturn in electronic measurement markets. However, business remains severely depressed, and there are no prospects for a meaningful recovery in the foreseeable future.”

Ugly news, especially since “foreseeable future” translates to “until 2011-2013,” according to Agilent (A) CFO Adrian Dillon. “We don’t expect (demand) to come back any time soon, so we’ve got to fundamentally change the cost structure,” he told Reuters. “We will not see a 2008 level of activity at least for two to four years.”

[Image credit: someecards]