Grocery chain Publix Super Markets says 4th-qtr profit rose 14 percent

Publix Super Markets 4Q profit rises 14 percent

LAKELAND, Fla. — Grocery store operator Publix Super Markets Inc.’s profit rose 14.1 percent in the fourth quarter, the company said Monday.

The privately held supermarket chain earned $284.2 million, or 36 cents per share, in the latest quarter. That is up from $249 million, or 31 cents per share, a year earlier.

Revenue rose 1 percent to $6.1 billion from $6 billion.

Sales at the company’s stores that have been open at least a year fell 2.5 percent. The figure is considered a key measure of a retailer’s performance because it is not skewed by new store openings and closings.

For the entire year, the company’s profit rose 6.6 percent to $1.2 billion, or $1.47 per share, from $1.1 billion, or $1.33 per share, the year before. Yearly revenue rose 1.6 percent to $24.3 billion from $23.9 billion.