Results improve

Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2004 | 9:21 a.m.

Net income was $31 million, or 12 cents a share, compared with a net loss of $234 million or 94 cents, in the fourth quarter of 2002. Sales rose 5.1 percent to $5.36 billion from $5.1 billion, the Atlanta-based company said in a statement.

Georgia-Pacific benefited from a $42 million credit for environmental reserves and a gain of $30 million from the sale of railroads. Housing starts last year had their biggest gains since 1978, helping to almost double the price of plywood in the quarter from a year earlier. Lumber prices rose 52 percent.

Shares of Georgia-Pacific rose 6 cents to $28.06 at 11:24 a.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading today. They rose 90 percent last year.

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