St. Petersburg, FL, Sept. 21 -- Jabil Circuit posted better-than-expected net income of $44.3 million, up from $20.1 million last year.

For its fiscal fourth quarter ended Aug. 31, revenue climbed to $1.63 billion from $1.30 billion. Excluding one-time charges items, Jabil posted a profit of $54.7 million.

The company guided for 2005 revenue of $7.2 billion to $7.4 billion, $1.75 billion to $1.85 billion in the first quarter.

Jabil president Tim Main told analysts during a conference call yesterday that conditions in the industry were stable. "I would characterize the current environment as stable and steady. From my perspective, the prospects for our business and industry are as good as they've been at any time in the last four years,"

The company reported new program wins in consumer, instrumentation and medical, and peripheral applications. However, it said it saw weakness in communications.

Caskh from operations was nearly $100 million, and cash conversion cycle days remained at 26.