The Sun, Lowell, Mass., Earnings Digest Column.

The Sun, Lowell, Mass. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Apr. 23--BROOKS POSTS RECORD QUARTER IN SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY: Semiconductor equipment maker Brooks Automation Inc. reported fiscal second-quarter earnings yesterday that creamed its own internal forecasts.

For the three-month period ending March 31, Brooks posted net income of $6.9 million (15 cents a share), reversing a loss last year of $8.9 million (23 cents a share). The Chelmsford-based company had predicted profits of between a penny and a nickel a share at the start of the year.

Sales jumped 48 percent, to $138 million.

"Our ability to execute our disciplined growth strategy along with the pace of the industry recovery in semiconductor capital equipment spending resulted in bookings, revenues and profitability that exceeded our guidance," said CEO Robert Therrien in a prepared statement.

The company set quarterly records for sales, earnings and profits.

Therrien predicts revenues of between $140 million and $150 million for the current quarter, with earnings per share in the range of 20 to 25 cents.

DATAWATCH CORP.: Datawatch Corp., which provides business-intelligence software, reported a healthy revenue increase for its fiscal second quarter, allowing the company to reverse a year-ago loss.

Lowell-based Datawatch reported net income of $396,000 (7 cents a share) for the three-month period ending March 31, compared to a loss of $50,000 (1 cent a share) in the comparable year-ago period.

Revenue jumped 26 percent, to almost $5.2 million.

CEO Robert Hagger noted that the company has been able to add $1 million to its cash position in the past six months despite increasing its investment in sales and marketing by more than $400,000 during the second quarter.

RSA SECURITY INC.: Internet security company RSA Security Inc. reported first-quarter profits that beat the street by a penny a share, but disappointed investors with a lukewarm second-quarter forecast.

For the three-month period ending March 31, the Bedford company posted net income of $6.5 million (10 cents a share), up from $1.7 million (3 cents a share) a year previous.

Sales increased 17 percent, to $72 million.

RSA predicts second-quarter sales of $71 million to $74 million, up 12 to 17 percent; earnings are expected to be between 9 and 11 cents a share, failing to impress analysts who are predicting 10 cents a share.

NEW ENGLAND BUSINESS SERVICE INC.: Acquisitions made in the past nine months are adding revenue power to business products maker New England Business Inc.

The Groton-based company reported fiscal third-quarter revenue of $173.5 million, up 36 percent from the previous year. The company said that excluding the effects of two acquisitions, sales would have risen a more modest 2 percent.

Earnings were down, chiefly due to the settling of a lawsuit arising from another acquisition made a couple years ago. New England Business posted net income of $2.4 million (17 cents a share), down from $5.9 million (44 cents a share).

In a statement, CEO Richard T. Riley said the settlement of a suit brought against the company after it acquired PremiumWear is resulting in a $4.8 million (21 cents a share) charge. In addition, integration and restructuring costs associated with NEBS' acquisition of Safeguard is resulting in a $2.1 million (9 cents a share) charge.

Riley expects full-year earnings of between $1.89 and $1.91 a share.

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BRKS, DWCH, RSAS, NEBS,