Profits at US manufacturer Procter & Gamble Co rose 14 per cent to 2.51 billion dollars in the third quarter on strong sales of its detergents and beauty products, according to dpa. The profit increase amounted to 17 per cent per share to 74 cents. Sales increased 8 per cent to 18.7 billion dollars on double digit volume increases in many of the Cincinnati, Ohio-based company's home-cleaning and personal-care brands. The earnings did not beat analysts' estimates, as other consumer companies had in recent earnings reports, driving down Procter & Gamble stock Tuesday, Bloomberg financial news service reported. Shipments were up 6 per cent, but were hurt by a voluntary pet food recall in March. The company was also impacted by higher costs for raw materials, including zinc for batteries, green coffee and paper pulp. Procter & Gamble's brands include Tide, Crest, Olay, Gillette and Duracell.
