Profit

DineEquity Inc., the Glendale-based owner of IHOP Restaurants and Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar, is making a heavy push toward franchising. More than 95% of the company's thousands of restaurants are now owned by entrepreneurs, DineEquity said Tuesday when it announced its first quarter earnings . The franchise model helps keep the company's balance sheet from wild swings, leading to a 5.5% boost in profit to $31.3 million, or $1.64 a share, from $29.7 million, or $1.53 a share during the same quarter a year earlier.

General Motors Co. profits grew substantially in the fourth quarter, but for all of 2012, the company made less money than it did the year before. GM said its fourth-quarter profit grew 89% to $892 million from the same period a year earlier. For the entire year, profits sank 36% to $4.9 billion as earnings in North America leveled and losses in recession-plagued Europe mounted. Sales rose to $39.3 billion in the fourth quarter, up from $38 billion in the same period a year earlier.

DineEquity Inc., the Glendale-based owner of the Applebee's and IHOP restaurant chains, had a strong fourth quarter after suffering a severe slump a year earlier. Several factors helped the recovery, including the company's increase in franchising, warmer weather that drew out more diners and remodeling efforts that have freshened up hundreds of Applebee's locations. Profit for the quarter that ended Dec. 31 jumped to $27.3 million, or $1.51 cents a share, compared with a loss of $58.1 million, or $3.33 cents a share, from the fourth quarter of 2010.

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After an almost two-year financial nose dive, the global airline industry appears ready to soar again. Three months after forecasting $2.8 billion in worldwide losses, a trade group for the world's airlines now predicts $2.5 billion in profits for 2010, with air travel demand and cargo traffic expected to grow faster than previously predicted. A report released Monday by the Montreal-based International Air Transport Assn. said passenger traffic worldwide is expected to grow 7.1% in 2010 over the previous year while cargo traffic will expand 18.5%.

Strong business in North America helped Ford Motor Co. post a big increase in fourth-quarter profit Tuesday, excluding a tax adjustment last year, but the automaker is still being hurt by Europe's economic malaise. The nation's second-largest automaker earned $1.6 billion in the latest quarter, up 55% from a year earlier.  For the year, earnings slipped 5% to $5.7 billion. The results don't include the effect of 2011 changes in valuation allowance against deferred tax assets, which greatly increased net income last year.

LinkedIn Corp., the biggest professional-networking website, rose to the highest price since its market debut after reporting first-quarter sales and profit that beat analysts' estimates amid a jump in membership. LinkedIn advanced 8.9% to $118.88 at 6:50 a.m., the highest level since it listed on the New York Stock Exchange in May 2011. The shares have more than doubled since then. LinkedIn said membership increased to 161 million from 150 million in the fourth quarter. Chief Executive Jeff Weiner is pushing mobile technology to woo more professionals to its subscription services and attract advertisers who want to reach the growing user base.

Morgan Stanley 's big push into wealth management seems to be paying off. The New York investment bank, which has been cutting costs as it has struggled to boost earnings, returned to profitability in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley reported $507 million in profit, compared to a loss of $250 million the same period in 2011. Profits from its wealth management and institutional securities divisions surged. Morgan Stanley's profit beat Wall Street estimates, and its stock surged in pre-market trading on Wall Street.

Goldman Sachs had a miserable first quarter - but mainly when it comes to public relations. The firm managed to beat analysts' expectations with better-than-anticipated profit, joining a pageant of generally strong earnings reports that buoyed the stock market. The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. earned $2.1 billion, or $3.92 a share, a 23% slump from its $2.7 billion, or $4.38 per share earnings during the same quarter a year earlier, excluding a one-time cost. But the bank's performance was still better than analysts' projections of less than $3.60 a share.

General Motors Co. profits fell 41% as the automaker piled up losses in Europe and earned less money in the U.S. GM said it earned $1.5 billion in the second quarter, down from $2.5 billion in the same period a year earlier. Revenue dipped 4% to $37.6 billion. The company attributed the decline to strengthening of the U.S. dollar against other currencies. "Our results in North America, our international operations and at GM Financial were solid but we clearly have more work to do to offset the headwinds we face, especially in regions like Europe and South America," said Dan Akerson, GM's chief executive.