The company attributed the drop to one-time expenses, including acquisitions.

Most resulted from a series of small, one-time expenses, he said, for which the company did not release figures.

When its one-time expenses were included, Delta lost $7.64 a share.

High research and development costs along with some one-time expenses cut into net profit.

The latest third quarter included $2.8 million of one-time expenses associated with the business combination.

Other one-time expenses may include a new laptop computer or membership in a professional organization.

This would not be a one-time expense because trees and foliage have the habit of growing.

Currently, however, the state would just report a one-time expense of $100 million in the year the prison was built.

"The first was the one-time expense of implementing an early retirement program," he said.

Earnings were reduced by $90 million from one-time expenses associated with the merger.