HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The quarterly earnings parade continues for companies with area interests.

Archer Daniels Midland, which employs about 60 workers in Hutchinson, posted better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings.

Amid all the merger talk, ADM’s mixed performance for the fourth quarter was helped by higher profits in agricultural services and corn processing.

ADM also benefited from U.S. tax reform, posting a net estimated $379 million quarterly benefit related to the new federal tax law, according to Reuters.

The company reported a net profit of $788 million, or $1.39 per share, up from $424 million, or 73 cents per share, a year earlier. Excluding items, ADM earned 82 cents per share, beating analysts’ average estimate by 12 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

The low demand for U.S. grain did result in a decline in total revenue, which fell 2.6 percent to $16.07 billion in the three months.

Tyson Foods will try to keep the positive results coming upon its release of first quarter earnings Thursday.