Outlook roundup: Costco, Aflac

NEW YORK (AP)--Costco Wholesale Corp. said Wednesday that its earnings for the current quarter will be lower than expected as it delays raising prices on items from food to patio sets amid soaring energy costs that have accelerated in recent weeks.

COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP)--Insurer Aflac Inc. on Wednesday said it expects to earn $3.86 to $3.98 per share on an adjusted basis for 2008, if the exchange rate for the Japanese yen, where the company takes in about 71 percent of its revenue, remains at current levels.

DUBLIN, Calif. (AP)--After posting better-than-expected second-quarter results Wednesday, database and mobile software maker Sybase Inc. raised its full-year sales and adjusted profit forecast.

SAN FRANCISCO. (AP)--Prescription drug distributor McKesson Corp. raised its full-year profit outlook Wednesday after topping Wall Street's first-quarter forecast.

NEW YORK (AP)--Oil and natural gas producer Energen Corp. affirmed its 2008 earnings guidance Wednesday for a range below what Wall Street expects.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)--Health insurer WellPoint Inc. has narrowed its full-year outlook and now expects net income to fall between $5.42 and $5.57 per share, including net realized investment losses of 6 cents per share.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. (AP)--J.D. Power and Associates cut its forecast for light-vehicle sales in the U.S. on Wednesday, citing the weak economy.