DuPont announced today that it expects third quarter earnings per share, excluding one-time items, to be in the $0.35 to $0.37 range, exceeding the company's earlier estimate of approximately $0.24 per share.

In the third quarter of 2001, the company reported underlying earnings at $0.12 per share.

After evaluating preliminary sales for the quarter, the company now expects third quarter pre-tax business results to modestly exceed its earlier estimate.

In addition, the third quarter provision for income taxes is expected to be lower than previously anticipated, based on the company's current view of its full year underlying tax rate. This accounts for the majority of earnings improvement versus the company's earlier earnings per share estimate. DuPont will address today's revised estimate and related information when it announces earnings for the third quarter on Oct. 23.