Business news in brief

Shares in USA Technologies Inc. jumped 13.8 percent yesterday after the Malvern company and MasterCard Worldwide said they had installed USA Technologies' cashless vending systems on 7,500 Coke machines in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Miami, New York and Seattle. The equipment allows customers to buy drinks using MasterCard PayPass, which is held up to a reader, or a regular credit card. USA Technologies' shares closed at $9.50, up $1.15, on the Nasdaq.

- Harold Brubaker

Philadelphia retailer Urban Outfitters Inc. said its second-quarter sales increased 22 percent this year to $348.5 million. Sales at stores open at least a year rose 5 percent, the first same-store increase since the fourth quarter of 2005. Same-store sales are a key retailing measure because they compare results for continuing operations. While comparable-store sales fell at the company's Urban Outfitters stores 3 percent, they were better in other divisions, rising 14 percent at Anthropologie and 28 percent at Free People stores. Direct-to-consumer sales rose 35 percent. The company's shares were up $2.03, or 9.6 percent, to close at $23.23.

- Stacey Burling

Alesco Financial Inc., a Philadelphia specialty lender, reported a $47.2 million second-quarter loss on a $74.4 million write-down of securities backed largely by second-lien mortgages.

- Harold Brubaker

InterDigital Inc. has sued Nokia Corp., the maker of mobile phones, contending that its wireless handsets violate two patents. InterDigital, a King of Prussia developer of software and chips for wireless Internet access, said it filed a lawsuit in federal court in Wilmington and a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission. The dispute involves so-called third-generation handsets and components, InterDigital said in a statement.

- Bloomberg News

The Hershey Co. increased its dividend on common stock 2.75 cents a share to 29.75 cents. It also increased its dividend on its Class B common stock 2.53 cents, to 26.78 cents. Both dividends will be paid Sept. 14 to shareholders of record on Aug. 24. The Hershey chocolate company's stock closed up 38 cents at $47.02.

- Joseph Galante

Aqua America Inc. raised its dividend a penny a share to 12.5 cents. The 9 percent increase from 11.5 cents a share will be paid Sept. 1 to shareholders of record on Aug. 17. The Bryn Mawr water and wastewater utility has about 2.8 million customers in 13 states. Shares of the company closed up 46 cents at $23.88.

- Joseph Galante

Air Products & Chemicals Inc., Allentown, said it won a second contract to supply oxygen and nitrogen for Wison Chemical Engineering Co. Ltd.'s coal-to-chemicals project in Nanjing, China. Air Products said it would build an air-separation plant that could produce more than 1,600 tons of oxygen a day for the second phase of Wison's project. The plant also will make liquid argon, used in welding, for steel fabricators and automakers in eastern China, Air Products said in a statement. Air Products built a plant of similar size after winning its first contract with Shanghai-based Wison in 2005. Wison uses oxygen to convert coal into carbon monoxide and other gases, which it sells to chemical-makers.

- Bloomberg News

NutriSystem Inc., the Horsham diet and fitness-products company, appointed a former AOL L.L.C. executive as its new president and chief operating officer. Joseph Redling, who was chairman and chief executive officer of AOL International and president of AOL Paid Services and Customer Management, assumes his post Sept. 4. Redling, 48, takes one of the roles vacated by Michael Hagan, who will remain as chairman and CEO. NutriSystem's former president and chief operating officer, George Jankovic, left last year for family reasons.

- AP

Hospital operator Tenet Healthcare Corp. said its second-quarter loss narrowed from a year earlier, but admissions fell and the company took in more uninsured patients. Tenet owns Hahnemann University Hospital and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. The company also cut its 2007 forecast for adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization to a range of $675 million to $725 million, compared with a May forecast of $700 million to $800 million. Shares of Tenet tumbled 79 cents, or 16 percent, to close at $4.15. The Dallas company reported a loss of $30 million, or 6 cents a share, in the quarter ended June 30. That compared with a loss of $398 million, or 85 cents a share, a year earlier, when Tenet wrote off the costs of settling lawsuits alleging that it overbilled Medicare. Tenet said the loss from continuing operations this spring was $29 million, or 6 cents a share. On that basis, analysts expected the company to earn 5 cents a share, according to Thomson Financial. Revenue edged up to $2.23 billion from $2.2 billion a year earlier.

- AP

Consumers boosted their borrowing more than expected in June, reflecting another hefty jump in credit card debt. The Federal Reserve reported that consumer credit rose at an annual rate of 6.5 percent in June. It marked the second straight sizable gain. Consumer credit rose 7.9 percent in May. The increase was led by an 8.4 percent rate of increase for revolving credit, the category that includes credit card debt. The category that includes auto loans rose at a 5.3 percent rate, the same as in May. Total consumer credit rose $13.2 billion in June to a record $2.459 trillion. The increase was double what economists had been expecting.

- AP

Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which is being taken private in a $17.1 billion deal, said its second-quarter profit surged 85 percent on strong results in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, but adjusted results from continuing operations missed estimates. Earnings climbed to $237.5 million, or $1.25 a share, vs. $128.6 million, or 69 cents a share, in the year-earleir period. Income from continuing operations rose to $195.5 million, or $1.03 a share, compared with $128.7 million, or 69 cents a share, a year earlier. Adjusted earnings from continuing operations were 96 cents a share vs. 95 cents a share in the year-earlier period. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial forecast net income of 98 cents a share. The casino operator reported revenue grew 14 percent, to $2.7 billion from $2.37 billion a year earlier.

- AP

Apple Inc. chief executive officer Steve Jobs introduced three sleeker versions of the iMac desktop to win over back-to-school shoppers. The two 20-inch models and the 24-inch version are all made of aluminum and glass, which are easier to recycle, Jobs said.

- Bloomberg News