Record Profit

Australian based, international pathology, radiology and medical centres group Sonic Healthcare (ASX:SHL) have reported their full year results to the market announcing record profits for FY 2012 to June 30.

• Record net profit of $316 million (up 7.3 percent)

Perth based engineering company, Monadelphous Group (ASX:MND) have released their full year results, reporting 11 straight years of profit.

• Monadelphous net profit: $137.3 million (FY 2012 to June 30)
• MND's net profit this year marks a 44.5 percent increase on the previous year which was $95.1 million.

Investment manager, Challenger Limited (ASX:CGF) have announced their full year profit results to the Australian sharemarket on Monday.

• Net profit: $148.5 million, down 43 percent year on year.
• Profit is down on the back of a volatile investment environment and re-valued fixed income assets.
• Normalised net profit: $296.8 million, up 20 percent.

Mining and construction services company, Macmahon Holdings (ASX:MAH), have announced their full year profits to the market.

• Full year profit of $56 million from a loss of $2.7 million the previous financial year.
• Profit was buoyed from record revenue and project wins in FY 2012.

National Australia Bank (ASX:NAB) have announced their full year profit of $5.5 billion: an increase of 19.2 percent. The increased profit was from an increase in mortgage sales, an increase in business lending and a drop in bad debts.

NAB have declared a final dividend, distributing 88 cents per share, fully franked. The dividend was 4 cents higher than the interim dividend and totals $1.72 for the full year dividend.

BHP Billiton (ASX:BHP) left competitors in the dust as it delivered the biggest record profit in Australia's history and the seventh biggest in the world's. BHP's net earnings soared by a whopping 85.9 percent to $22.5 billion as major price gains in iron ore and coking coal erased the effects of rising costs and tiny volume drops.

Commonwealth Bank (ASX:CBA) booked a record $6.4 billion full year profit, or a 13 percent increase. Cash profit added 12 percent to just over $6.8 billion, approximately in line with expectations.

CBA reported an 18.4 percent return on equity on statutory results with a 12 percent rise in earnings per share to 411.2 cents.

Asian demand has boosted Rio Tinto's (ASX:RIO) first half net profit to a record $7.08 billion compared to the previous period. The miner also increased its share buyback by US$2 billion.

Underlying earnings, however, dipped a bit below analysts' expectations at $7.25 billion. First half net profit would have been $1.23 billion more if not for extreme weather and higher production costs, said the miner.

Australian Bank, CommBank (ASX:CBA) have seen their first half net profit rise by 5 percent from the previous corresponding period. Commonwealth Bank of Australia's statutory net profit for the six months ended December 31 rose to $3.05 billion, from $2.91bn the previous year. In an announcement to the market, the bank said there was "cautious optimism" about the outlook for the bank for the balance of the 2011 financial year.