Ahold Q4 Net Profit Declines 41.5%

Royal Ahold NV reported a 41.5% drop in its fourth-quarter net profit and also announced a new EUR500 million share repurchase program. Ahold's quarterly net profit declined to EUR158 million, from EUR270 million, in the year-ago period. Its underlying operating income climbed 4.1% to EUR355 million, while sales rose 7.5% to EUR7.835 billion.