The Bear Stearns Companies yesterday became the latest investment bank to surpass analysts' forecasts.

In 1997, Bear Stearns Companies got a $75 million incentive package for a new office tower under the city's corporate retention program.

The Bear Stearns Companies, the seventh-largest securities firm, reported a 51 percent increase in net income.

But now it seems a safe bet that the full-block site will be redeveloped as the headquarters of the Bear Stearns Companies.

The Bear Stearns Companies yesterday reported a 29.1 percent increase in earnings for the fourth fiscal quarter.

Separately, the Bear Stearns Companies, the firm's corporate parent, reported a 28.3 percent drop in quarterly profits.

The building still sits vacant, although the Bear Stearns Companies plans to erect its new headquarters on the site.

The Bear Stearns Companies reported yesterday that its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings surged 82 percent, to a record $162.8 million.

The largest new issue was offered by the Bear Stearns Companies.

All three executives are already directors of the Bear Stearns Companies, the firm's holding company.