Nextel also raised its forecast for full-year earnings per share by 30 percent to $2.60 from $2.

And the company predicts full-year earnings of at least 43 cents a share.

Last year was the company's most profitable ever, with full-year earnings of $45.22 billion thanks in large part to record high prices.

And analysts had forecast full-year earnings of $2.90 a share, up from $2.61 for 1992.

The company raised its full-year earnings forecast by 6 percent from an estimate announced in July.

Analysts expect full-year earnings to rise about 20 percent above last year's profit of $2.34 billion.

It also cut its full-year earnings forecast by 20 percent.

He increased his estimate of full-year per-share earnings to $6.80 from $6.35.

The company predicted full-year earnings will be about 10 cents a share.

The prior full-year earnings included about $8 million from the settlement of natural gas contract disputes.