Ceradyne Inc.: The Costa Mesa manufacturer of...

Ceradyne Inc.: The Costa Mesa manufacturer of ceramic components reported a second-quarter loss of $692,000, or 11 cents per share. That contrasted with a profit of $16,000 a year earlier. Sales fell 19% to $4.4 million, from $5.4 million. The company blamed the decline on the weakness in defense-related orders for its products. In the first half of the year, Ceradyne posted $1.1 million in losses, contrasted with a $79,000 profit a year earlier. Sales fell 21% to $9.2 million, from $11.7 million.