Aug 24, 2004 11:14 AM, from staff and wire reports

Sanderson Farms Inc, the Laurel MS-based producer and distributor of frozen and fresh chicken, reported results for the third quarter and nine months ended July 31, 2004.

Net sales for the third quarter of fiscal 2004 were $293.9 million, compared with $232.2 million for the same period a year ago. For the quarter, net income more than doubled to $33.9 million, versus net income of $15.4 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2003.

For the first nine months of fiscal 2004, net sales were $793.1 million, compared with $617.5 million for the same period of fiscal 2003. Net income for the first nine months of the year totaled $86.4 million, in contrast to net income of $33.6 million for the first nine months of 2003.