KiOR 4Q loss nearly doubles on plant startup costs

PASADENA, Texas (AP) — KiOR's fourth-quarter loss nearly doubled with the start-up costs of a Mississippi production facility weighing on results from the alternative fuel company.

It was a better showing than Wall Street had expected and shares edged up on a down day for major markets.

For the quarter ended Dec. 31, KiOR posted a loss of $29.7 million, or 28 cents per share, compared with a loss of $14.9 million, or 15 cents per share, in the same quarter last year.

Revenue for the recent quarter totaled $87,000, as the company marked its first commercial shipment of alternative fuel from the Mississippi plant. Partially offsetting the revenue were $68,000 in production, shipping, blending and other revenue-related costs.

Analysts, on average, expected a loss of 31 cents per share on $1.5 million in revenue, according to FactSet.