ADR Report: Strong Earnings Results Help Lift Shares

International companies trading in New York closed higher Thursday, in line with the broader market, boosted by strong quarterly earnings results.

The Bank of New York index of ADRs climbed 0.6% to 132.46.

Ensco PLC's (ESV) stock jumped 4.5% to $59.05 as its fourth-quarter results topped analysts' estimates. Adding new ultra-deepwater rigs to its active fleet, a higher deepwater segment utilization and average day rates and an increase in jackup segment utilization contributed to the strong revenues.

Xinyuan Real Estate Co.'s (XIN) fourth-quarter revenues jumped 46% as contract sales and floor sales increased while expenses ticked down. Shares of the residential real estate developer, which focuses on Tier II cities in China, rose 3.2% to $2.57.

The European index rose 0.9% to 121.32.

Allianz SE (AZSEY, ALIZF, ALV.XE), Europe's biggest primary insurer by market capitalization, on Thursday said that a solid performance on the operating level enabled it to keep its dividend for 2011 stable despite a 50% decline in net profit for the year. Allianz shares climbed 2.5% to $11.97.

The Latin American index added 0.2% to 380.71.

Mexican construction firm Empresas ICA SAB (ICA, ICA.MX) said Thursday it has signed a contract worth 2.01 billion pesos ($157 million) to build a two-lane highway in the Pacific Coast state of Nayarit. Shares gained 5% to $7.93.

UBS raised its recommendation on shares of Mexican corn miller and tortilla maker Gruma SAB (GMK, GRUMA.MX) Thursday to buy from neutral, citing improving trends seen in the company's fourth-quarter earnings results. Shares of Gruma traded 5.1% higher to $9.50.

The Asian index slipped 0.1% to 130.18 and the emerging markets index fell 0.2% to 313.86 as solar companies tumbled for the second day in a row.

Trina Solar Ltd. (TSL, K3KD.SG) swung to a wider-than-expected fourth-quarter loss as the Chinese solar-products maker reported sharply lower sales and margins plunged. Trina Solar's stock dropped 12% to $8.63. The results also weighed on peers, with Yingli Green Energy Holding (YGE), which lowered its forecast for fourth-quarter shipments and gross margins on Wednesday, also fell, off 11% at $3.85. Hanwha SolarOne Co. (HSOL) fell 9.2% to $1.77 and JA Solar Holdings Co. (JASO) declined 6.7% to $1.94.

-By Corrie Driebusch, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2143; [e-mail]