Yahoo income nearly triples from first quarter of 2009

Yahoo Inc.’s first-quarter earnings nearly tripled as the Internet company’s revenue edged up for the first time in 18 months.

The results released Tuesday represented Yahoo’s best quarterly performance since it hired CEO Carol Bartz to engineer a turnaround early last year.

Display advertising, a category that includes online billboards and other visual marketing campaigns, surged 20 percent from last year, Yahoo said.

The company earned $310.2 million, or 22 cents per share, in the January-March period. That compared with income of $117.6 million, or 8 cents per share, a year ago.

Coca-Cola profit surges 19 percent over last year

Coca-Cola, the world’s largest soft- drink maker, reported its first quarter profit climbed 19 percent thanks to emerging markets like India and Brazil.

That helped to offset persistent weakness in the United States and Europe, where shoppers skimped on soda, water, juices and teas for health or economic reasons.

Worldwide case volume rose 3 percent, with international case volume growing faster at 5 percent.

In the quarter ending April 2, Coca-Cola earned $1.61 billion, or 69 cents per share, up from earnings of $1.35 billion, or 58 cents a share, in the same period last year.

Johnson & Johnson reports slight increase for quarter

Johnson & Johnson, the world’s biggest maker of health care products, looks to be on the mend with a slight increase in first-quarter profit.

The maker of biologic drugs, baby shampoo and birth control pills reported first-quarter profit rose 29 percent to $4.53 billion, or $1.62 per share, mainly on a $900 million gain from settling a patent fight with Boston Scientific Corp. and other litigation. Excluding that, net income increased 3 percent to $3.62 billion, or $1.29 per share, from $3.51 billion, or $1.26 per share a year ago.