Revenues of $814.4 million were down 4.1 percent from $849.1 million in the year-earlier quarter.
This year, Dole no longer had its real estate and resorts business, which was spun off into a separate company at the end of 1995. That caused a shift in the company's business mix resulting in a lower tax rate, said David H. Murdock, chairman and chief executive officer.
The company also trimmed its interest expenses by having a lower debt level.
Dole accounted for last year's quarterly results from real estate and resorts as a discontinued business, which showed a $790,000 loss for the 1995 quarter. Dole also sold its worldwide juice business and its pistachio business last year.
Comparing only the ongoing operations, not counting the spun-off businesses, Dole had a 3 percent increase in quarterly revenues compared with the 1995 period. The company's operating income of $47.2 million for the quarter was down 13.7 percent from $54.7 million in the 1995 quarter.
Murdock said Dole had higher returns from its fresh and processed pineapple, and pre-cut salad businesses but had lower results in the banana business because of adverse weather conditions.
Based in Westlake Village, Calif., Dole is one of the world's largest producers and marketers of fresh fruit and vegetables, packaged fruit, and nuts. It still has fresh pineapple operations in Hawaii, where the company first went into business around 1850.