Windstream Profits Up in Quarter, Year

By Virgil Larson, Omaha World-Herald, Neb.

Feb. 9–Windstream Corp., the dominant local phone company in Lincoln and southeast Nebraska, Thursday reported a 39 percent increase in profits in the fourth quarter and a 46 percent increase for the year.

Profits for the quarter that ended Dec. 31 were $117.72 million, or 25 cents a share, on revenue of $827.61 million. Profits in the fourth quarter of 2005 were $84.48 million, or 21 cents, on revenue of $745.42 million.

Full-year profits were $545.3 million, or $1.25 a share, on revenue of $3.03 billion. In 2005, profits were $374.22 million, or 93 cents, on revenue of $2.92 billion.

Windstream lost phone customers throughout the year, ending up with 3.24 million lines, 148,077 fewer than it had at the end of 2005. It added 205,757 broadband customers, starting 2007 with 656,132.

Windstream was spun off from Alltel Communications and merged with Valor Communications, a Texas telephone company, in July. The September-December period was its first full quarter as a stand-alone company. Alltel kept the wireless phone business.

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Copyright (c) 2007, Omaha World-Herald, Neb.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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