Shares of Winnebago Industries Inc. (WGO: chart) sagged 6.99% in regular trading Friday after the motor home maker said its third-quarter profits dropped by nearly half, due primarily to lower sales volumes. Results were below Wall Street estimates.

The company reported earnings of $9 million, or 48 cents a share, compared with $17.7 million, or 88 cents a share, a year ago. The figure was significantly below analysts' mean estimate for a profit of 67 cents a share.

Revenue for the quarter ended May 31, 2003 also fell short of analysts' expectations at $200.2 million, down from $245.9 million in the prior-year quarter.

'Due to the lower volume, we reduced production schedules to better align the company and dealer inventory levels with retail demand expectations, decreasing plant efficiencies,' said Bruce Hertzke, the company's chief executive, in a prepared statement.

Shares of the Forest City, Iowa-based company dipped 2.79 to end the trading day at 37.11 on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

VF Corp. (VFC: chart), the world's largest jeans maker, revised downward its second-quarter earnings outlook citing difficult retail conditions and tighter inventory controls.

The Greensboro, N.C.-based apparel company now expects earnings for the quarter ending July 5, 2003 to drop between 20% and 25%. Sales are forecast to fall 5% to 7%. In late April, VF anticipated earnings to be flat to down 5% on flat sales.

In the year-earlier quarter, the company earned 79 cents a share on sales of $1.16 billion. Based on these figures, VF now expects to deliver earnings of 59 cents to 63 cents a share on sales of $1.08 billion to $1.10 billion. Analysts had pegged it to earn 76 cents a share.

The maker of Lee and Wrangler jeans left its outlook for the second half of the year intact.

The company also said it is still pursuing options for its Playwear children's clothing business and that it might have a decision by the end of the second quarter.

Shares slumped 3.48, or 8.99%, to 35.23 in regular trading on the NYSE.

Online broker AmeriTrade Holding Corp. (AMTD: chart) raised its third-quarter earnings and revenue guidance. The company attributed the upward revision to an improved economy and the end of the war in Iraq.

The company now forecasts earnings of 9 to 11 cents a share for its fiscal 2003 third quarter, up from its earlier guidance of 3 to 11 cents a share. Revenue is expected to range from $173 million to $197 million, compared with the company's previous projection of $116 million to $200 million.

Analysts polled by Thomson First Call have been looking for a profit of 8 cents a share on revenue of $153 million for the quarter.

The Omaha, Nebraska-based company should release quarterly financials on July 22, 2003.

AmeriTrade also said that its core online brokerage account continued to grow. It opened 31,000 new accounts during May for a total of 2,937,000 million accounts, with an average daily volume of 157,000 trades. Average daily trades rose more than 25% in June.

Shares of AmeriTrade ended up 10 cents, or 1.23%, at 8.23 on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. In after-hours trading, the stock gained another 7 cents to 8.30.

Aerospace contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC: chart) said Friday that sales and earnings in 2003 would be in line with its earlier guidance.

The Los Angeles company still anticipates earnings of $3.80 and $4.20 a share from continuing operations in 2003. Sales are seen coming at between $25 billion and $26 billion.

Analysts have pegged it to earn $4.01 a share on sales of $25.5 billon for 2003.