12:28 PM EST - Alimentation Couche-Tard : announced that its fourth-quarter net earnings were $38.0 million U.S. or $0.20 U.S. per share, compared to $15.5 million U.S. or $0.08 U.S. per share in the year ago quarter. Total revenues for the quarter were $2.99 billion U.S., compared to $3.71 billion U.S. in the prior-year quarter. Growth in same-store merchandise revenues was 3.3% in the United States, of which 2.7% is due to the positive effect of the federal tax increase on tobacco products during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 while the remaining increase comes from the ability of Couche-tard's business units to put forward a product mix allowing them to maintain revenues as well as gross margin. Alimentation Couche-tard
shares T.ATD.A are trading down $0.37 at $13.59.
