Comcast earnings soar 54 percent

PHILADELPHIA -- Comcast Corp., the nation's largest cable operator, reported a 54 percent increase in fourth-quarter profit on solid revenue gains boosted by acquisitions and customers' increased spending for cable TV. Comcast also said it will start paying a 6.25-cent quarterly dividend starting at the end of April that it expects will increase over time. Moreover, the Philadelphia-based company is pledging that by the end of 2009 it will spend the remaining $6.9 billion it has allotted to buy back shares.