Owens red ink still evident while Baxter income rose 2% in 1995. (Owens and Mimor Inc.; Baxter International Inc.)

For the fourth quarter at least, Owens & Minor's answers to declining profits failed to stem the tide of red ink that the big Richmond, Va.-based medical-surgical distributor has faced. Including one-time charges, Owens suffered a $9 million loss for the quarter, despite the fact that sales rose 2.2% to $746.7 million from $730.2 million. Sales for the 12 months ending Dec. 31, 1995 were $3 billion, 24.2% higher than the $2.4 billion posted during 1994.

The company's initiatives included the previously announced 1% across-the-board price increase instituted Owens said, "to reflect the value of the services provided to the customer." Virtually all group purchasing …