Starbucks Profit Rises 35 Percent

Starbucks Corp. said Thursday its fiscal fourth-quarter profit jumped 35 percent, despite a slowdown in store openings and a drop in U.S. traffic.

Shares plummeted in after-hours trading.

For the 13 weeks ended Sept. 30, the world's largest chain of coffee houses posted net earnings of $158.5 million, or 21 cents a share, compared with $117.3 million, or 15 cents a share for the same period last year.

Quarterly revenue was $2.44 billion, up from $2 billion last year.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial were projecting 21 cents a share on $2.43 billion in revenue.

Same-store sales, a key measure of a retailer's health, …