Gilead Sciences’ Net Loss Narrows

Gilead Sciences Inc., which makes drugs to treat infectious diseases, narrowed its first-quarter loss because of growing sales of its newly approved HIV medication.

Gilead posted a net loss of $3.9 million, or 2 cents a share, compared with a loss of $21.7 million, or 11 cents, a year earlier. Revenue increased 36% to $78.4 million from $57.8 million.

The Foster City-based company was expected to have a loss of 6 cents a share, the average estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial/First Call.

Shares of Gilead increased $1.98, or 6.4%, to $33.10 on Nasdaq.

Other earnings from California companies:

* Alliance Imaging Inc., an Anaheim provider of outsourced diagnostic imaging services, said net income for the first quarter jumped to $7.9 million, or 16 cents a share, from $1.2 million, or 3 cents, a year earlier. Revenue increased 8% to $98.7 million.

* American National Financial Inc., an Orange-based real estate services company, reported first-quarter net income more than doubled to $5.8 million, or 72 cents a share, from $2.3 million, or 26 cents, a year earlier. Revenue rose 58% to $44.9 million.

* DDi Corp., an Anaheim provider of design and manufacturing services for the electronics industry, reported a $5.9-million loss, or 12 cents a share, for the first quarter, contrasted with year-earlier net income of $5.7 million, for which it did not provide per-share results. Sales fell 56% to $62.5 million.

* Earle M. Jorgensen Co., a Brea metals distributor, reported net income for its fiscal fourth quarter of $972,000, down 9% from the $1.1 million posted a year ago. Revenue for the quarter ended March 31 declined 17% to $224.6 million. The company did not provide per-share figures.

* Herbalife International Inc. reported net income for its first quarter of $19.9 million, or 60 cents a share, up from $8.6 million, or 29 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. The Los Angeles-based network marketing company reported sales of $432.7 million, an 8.3% increase from $399.7 million.

* Irvine-based ISTA Pharmaceuticals Inc. reported a first-quarter net loss of $4.7 million, or 28 cents a share, narrower than a net loss of $5.2 million, or 33 cents a share, for the same period last year. Revenue for the first quarter was $70,000. No revenue was reported for the prior-year period.

* Quest Software Inc., an Irvine maker of program management software, said net income for the first quarter totaled $1.7 million, or 2 cents a share, contrasted with a net loss of $14.8 million, or 17 cents a share, for last year’s first quarter. Revenue declined 6% to $59.3 million.

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Bloomberg News was used in compiling this report