NORWALK, Conn. (AP) -- Xerox announced its first quarterly cash dividend in six years Monday and predicted double-digit earnings growth in the coming years, citing new products and a stronger balance sheet.

A dividend of 4.25 cents per share will be payable Jan. 31 for shareholders of record on Dec. 31.

"Declaring a dividend and our continued share repurchase initiatives reflect the health of our business and our belief in the long-term value we're creating for Xerox shareholders," said Anne M. Mulcahy, Xerox chief executive officer.

While the company doesn't release its share projections, it said the dividend would account for about 10 percent of its cash in the next fiscal year.

Shares of the printer and copier company rose 1.6 percent, or 26 cents, to $16.08 Monday.

The announcement was another triumph for Mulcahy, who took over the teetering Xerox in 2001, when it was loaded down by billions in debt and a huge accounting scandal.

Xerox has dramatically improved its balance sheet and introduced 100 new products in the past three years, Mulcahy said. The company has made key acquisitions, paid down debt, bought back stock and its

NEW YORK (AP) -- Motorists are starting to see some relief at the gas pump, with prices falling over the weekend and following the path of crude oil as its own advance toward $100 has stalled.

Gas dropped 1.4 cents over the weekend to a national average of $3.095 a gallon, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. Prices peaked at $3.112 a gallon last Thursday, and appear unlikely to rise the additional 10 to 15 cents many analysts predicted when oil appeared to be marching relentlessly toward $100 a barrel.

Crude futures, meanwhile, rose Monday in a late-session rally on concerns about whether OPEC will boost output and on concerns about a move by Iran and Venezuela to have oil priced in a currency other than the dollar.

"There's a lot of uncertainty right now," said James Cordier, president of Liberty Trading Group in Tampa, Fla.

Light, sweet crude for January delivery rose 80 cents Monday to settle at $94.64 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange Monday after alternating between gains and losses.

"People are kind of torn as to which way the market will go this week," said Michael Lynch, president of

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Hewlett-Packard Co.'s fourth-quarter profit easily exceeded Wall Street's expectations, bolstered by surging laptop sales and continued strong demand for highly profitable printer ink.

The board of the Palo Alto-based computer and printer maker also authorized an additional $8 billion for stock buybacks, a sign the company believes its shares are undervalued.

Strong PC sales have fueled much of HP's growth, but the company doesn't expect that business to keep growing as fast as it has. Printer ink continues to be the company's cash cow.

A brighter financial forecast helped lift shares 45 cents in after-hours trading Monday to $49.89. During the regular session, before the results were reported, the stock fell $1.31 to $49.44.

HP's net income leaped 28 percent in the three months ended Oct. 31, rising from $1.69 billion, or 60 cents per share, to $2.16 billion, or 81 cents per share.

Excluding one-time charges, HP's profit was 86 cents per share, four cents higher than the average