Adjusted per-share profit of 25 cents beat analysts’ estimates Sales dropped 17% from year earlier to $7.02 billion Schlumberger Ltd.’s earnings beat expectations after the world’s largest oilfield services provider cashed in on an early U.S. recovery as it waits for the rest of the world to catch up. Excluding one-time items, the Houston- and Paris-based company reported profit of 25 cents for the third quarter, beating the 22-cent average of 39 analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Aside from the challenges experienced by its newly acquired Cameron equipment-manufacturing unit, Schlumberger said Thursday that North America onshore sales climbed 14 percent sequentially. Schlumberger follows its closest rival Halliburton Co. in reporting an improvement in North America as crude prices have almost doubled from a 12-year low in February. Halliburton reported a surprising third-quarter profit and said it’s taking dead aim at driving up prices for its services — even if […]