Earnings roundup: Heinz, Costco

Top stories:

PHILADELPHIA (AP)--Soaring commodity costs prompted H.J. Heinz Co. to raise prices on a host of consumer products, helping the foodmaker post a 7.2 percent increase in fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday. The company also boosted its dividend.

Other stories:

SEATTLE (AP)--Costco Wholesale Corp. reported a 32 percent jump in its fiscal third-quarter profit Thursday, topping Wall Street expectations, as cash-squeezed customers flocked to its warehouse clubs in search of bargains on food and toiletries.

WASHINGTON (AP)--Federally insured banks and thrifts set aside a record $37.1 billion to cover losses from soured mortgages and other loans in the first quarter, when profits were nearly halved, regulators said Thursday.

NEW YORK (AP)--Russian mining and steel company Mechel OAO said Thursday its 2007 profit surged by more than half, topping Wall Street expectations, as it ramped up production.

CHICAGO (AP)--Retailer Sears Holdings Corp. posted its second quarterly loss since Kmart acquired Sears stores in 2005, saying Thursday that it lost $56 million in the first quarter and fell far short of Wall Street forecasts.

NEW YORK (AP)--Greek shipping and logistics company Navios Maritime Holdings Inc. said Thursday its first-quarter earnings fell 4 percent, missing Wall Street's expectations, as soaring costs offset sales that more than tripled from a year earlier.