Company Earnings Show Strength as U.S. Growth Picks Up

Corporate profits continued to rebound last quarter alongside solid growth in the broader U.S. economy.

A key measure of after-tax earnings across U.S. corporations rose 5.2% in the third quarter from a year earlier, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. That was the first annual increase since late 2014 and the strongest year-over-year growth since the fourth quarter of 2012.

Profit gains were reflected among large U.S....