Sauer-Danfoss Inc., with operations in Ames, posted a first quarter profit of $27.9 million, or 57 cents per share, up 81 percent from $15.4 million, or 32 cents per share, in the first quarter of 2007. Net sales rose 18 percent to a record $617.4 million from $523.1 million a year ago. Orders received in the quarter were $677.9 million, up 22 percent from last year. The company has increased its 2008 earnings outlook to $1.50 to $1.65 per share on sales growth of 9 to 11 percent. Listen to a replay of this morning’s conference call at ir.sauer-danfoss.com.

Dice Holdings Inc.‘s first quarter 2008 revenues rose 30 percent to $39.6 million, compared with $30.4 million in the year-ago period, driven by strong performance in its eFinancialCareers business and an increase in the number of recruitment package customers at Dice.com. Operating income for the quarter grew $5.8 million to $10.4 million, while income from continuing operations reached $3.8 million, including a $2.3 million non-cash, pre-tax charge related to interest rate swap agreements. Net income was $4.3 million. For more information, visit investor.diceholdingsinc.com.

George Jamgochian has joined Principal Global Investors as head of U.S. institutional sales, effective yesterday. Jamgochian comes with more than 35 years of experience in the investment management industry and most recently served as head of sales, marketing and relationship management at Financial Risk Management.

Valley Bank announced in a press release on Friday that it finalized the acquisition of Horizon Bank and its three branches in Pleasant Hill, Knoxville and Oskaloosa. The Davenport-based bank will now have 16 locations in Iowa and Illinois.

The cost of nursing home care in Iowa has risen 16 percent since 2004 compared with a 17 percent increase nationwide, according to the annual “Cost of Care” report released by Genworth Financial Inc. This is the fifth consecutive year costs have risen across the country. One year in a private nursing home in Iowa costs $49,918 on average, compared with the national cost of $76,460 a year. Additional research released in the Genworth report, “A Workforce to Care for Our Aging,” also reveals that the U.S. will need to recruit 200,000 new direct-care workers each year to meet future demand. Click here to read the full report

Meredith Corp., in conjunction with NBC Universal, completed a study of more than 3,000 women that covered a wide range of topics ranging form marriage and family, health and fitness, safety and financial matters. Among its findings, two-thirds of women say “financial strain” is a major threat to American families, a much bigger threat than divorce (48 percent); 79 percent of women in a dual income household say it is “essential for both spouses/partners to be employed in order to make ends meet;” and 38 percent of women have incurred medical debt. For more information on the “What Do Women Want?” survey, go to www.meredith.com and click on “investor relations.”

The Downtown Farmers Market will return on Saturday, May 10, from 7 a.m. to noon in the Historic Court Avenue District. The market will include nearly 200 vendors from 47 Iowa counties. New this year, the market will implement a policy that no purchases can be made before 7 a.m., and it has established dog etiquette guidelines. For more information, visit www.desmoinesfarmersmarket.com.



Correction: Yesterday, the Daily incorrectly linked to the wrong Web site in the ticker item about the West Des Moines Leadership Academy. The correct link is www.wdmleaders.org. The Business Record regrets the error.