NEW YORK (AP) -- Nielsen Holdings NV's fourth-quarter net income rose, benefiting from growth in developing markets, less money spent on interest payments and fewer charges related to its initial public offering in January 2011.
The company makes its money by selling data about what people are buying in stores and watching on television. It is known for its weekly rankings of TV's most watched shows, a breakdown that helps determine the advertising prices charged by broadcasters and cable channels.
Nielsen, which just completed its first year as a public company, said Monday that it earned $95 million, or 26 cents per share, for the three months ended Dec. 31. In the year-ago period, it posted net income of $3 million, or 1 cent per share, the company earned a year ago.
Excluding one-time items, earnings were 51 cents per share, up from 35 cents per share.
Analysts forecast earnings of 49 cents per share, according to a FactSet survey.
Revenue rose 4 percent to $1.42 billion from $1.37 billion, but fell short of Wall Street's estimate of $1.46 billion.
For the year, Nielsen Holdings N.V. earned $84 million, or 24 cents per share. That's down 35 percent from $130 million, or 46 cents per share, in 2010. The 2011 results included charges related to its initial public offering.
Annual revenue increased 8 percent to $5.53 billion from $5.13 billion.
Nielsen has headquarters in New York and Diemen, Netherlands.
The company's stock dropped 88 cents, or 2.9 percent, to $29.34 in morning trading. The shares have traded in a 52-week range of $24.38 to $33, and went public at $23 per share.
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