Financial reports: PC Connection, PC Mall, NEBS

Bottom- and top-line increases for PC Connection

After several tough quarters, computer reseller PC Connection (Nasdaq: PCCC) has some good news to report. Third-quarter sales rose 9%, while net income increased 5%.

For the three months ended Sept. 30, Merrimack, NH-based PC Connection posted net income of $2.2 million on sales of $341.0 million. For the third quarter of last year, the cataloger had net income of $2.1 million on sales of $312.9 million. The company’s public-sector division, GovConnection, accounted for much of the revenue growth. With sales of $96 million—a 50% increase from the second quarter.

PC Mall boasts record 3Q sales Its acquisition earlier this year of cataloger ClubMac and solutions provider Wareforce helped computer reseller PC Mall (Nasdaq: MALL) increase its third-quarter sales 34%. For the three months ended Sept. 30, the Torrence, CA-based cataloger had record revenue of $230.1 million, up from $171.9 million for the third quarter of 2001. Net income rose 55%, to $764,000 from $493,000.

ClubMac and Wareforce accounted for 18% of the sales growth, with internal sales growth accounting for the remaining 16%. Sales within the PC Mall Gov segment rose 29% from last year, while outbound sales to small and midsize businesses increased 40%.

NEBS boosts 1Q net income For its fiscal first quarter, ended Sept. 28, New England Business Service (NYSE: NEB) posted net sales of $128.9 million. That’s down nearly 4% from sales of $133.5 million for the comparable period of last year. But net income more than tripled, to $7.0 million from $1.9 million a year ago. Excluding nonrecurring items both years, the increase isn’t quite so dramatic–$5.1 million from $4.8 million—but it is an increase nontheless. Also known as NEBS, the Groton, MA-based company is a multititle mailer of business stationery, promotional apparel, warehouse packaging supplies, and other products for small and midsize businesses.