TASER Q4 Earnings Rise

(RTTNews) - Taser electroshock gun-maker TASER International, Inc. (TASR) Wednesday reported a rise in earnings and revenue for the fourth quarter, amid upgrades by law enforcement agencies to the new X26P and X2 weapons, and a higher gross margin.

For the fourth quarter, earnings rose to $6.92 million or $0.13 per share, from $3.81 million or $0.07 per share a year earlier.

On average, four analysts polled by Thomson-Reuters estimated the company's earnings to be $0.06 for the quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude one-time items.

For the three months to December, EBITDA more than doubled to $12.71 million, from $6.2 million a year earlier.

Gross margin rose to 63.8 percent from 59.7 percent in the corresponding period last year.

Net sales for the 3-month period rose to $40 million from $32.1 million a year earlier. Analysts had expected revenues of $37.43 million.

For the full-year 2013, earnings increased to $19.79 million or $0.37 per share, from $14.74 million or $0.27 per share last year. Annual net sales advanced to $137.83 million from $114.75 million a year earlier.