Outlook Roundup: Gen. Mills, ConAgra

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Food companies General Mills and ConAgra raised their profits estimates Tuesday, shrugging off higher costs for grain, energy and other raw materials thanks to cost-cutting, rising sales and higher prices.

HORSHAM, Pa. (AP) NutriSystem Inc. predicted Tuesday its 2008 sales will fall short of analysts' expectations and said economic worries are prompting consumers to cut back on discretionary purchases like diet products.

NIWOT, Colo. (AP) Crocs Inc., the maker of colorful plastic shoes, on Tuesday backed its previous 2008 guidance, predicting profit and sales below average Wall Street estimates.

NEW YORK (AP) KeyCorp may take a first-quarter write-down of up to 16 cents per share to reflect declines in the value of the bank's mortgage-backed securities, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Tuesday.

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y. (AP) DealerTrack Holdings Inc., a technology provider for the automotive retail industry, on Tuesday issued a fiscal 2008 guidance below average analysts' estimates, partially as a result of charges stemming from patent litigation.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Surgical products maker ArthroCare Corp. predicted on Tuesday that its first-quarter and fiscal year 2008 profit will rise, with sales growing at least 20 percent in the quarter and full year.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) AmSurg Corp., operator of outpatient surgery centers, on Tuesday forecast first-quarter and full-year earnings for 2008 within Wall Street expectations.