R.R. Donnelley Earnings Jump 61%

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co. posted net earnings of $165.1 million for the third quarter, a 61% gain over $127.3 million for the prior-year period.

The printing giant reported net sales of $2.3 billion for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up 5.7% from $2.2 billion last year.

The company attributed these results largely to higher sales and a lower tax rate.

The Chicago-based firm's publishing and retail services segment -- which includes catalogs -- reported net sales of $1.2 billion for the quarter, a 7.2% increase over the 2005 period.

This news comes on the heels of Donnelley's announced acquisition of Banta Corp. for $1.3 billion (Direct Newsline, Nov. 2).