Alcatel-Lucent to Miss Margin Goal After Quarterly Loss

Alcatel-Lucent SA, France’s largest telecommunications-equipment supplier, said it will miss a profit target after posting a quarterly operating loss on waning demand. The stock dropped the most in more than 13 years.

Alcatel-Lucent said today in a statement it won’t meet its goal for full-year adjusted operating-profit margin, citing “year-to-date performance and the difficult macro-economic environment.” The Paris-based company earlier this year predicted that its 2012 profit margin would rise.