HOUSTON_Natural gas transport and storage company Spectra Energy Corp. on Wednesday said its third-quarter earnings sank 35 percent due in part to lower commodity prices.

Quarterly earnings declined to $191 million, or 30 cents per share, compared with $296 million, or 48 cents per share, during the same period last year.

Results beat analyst expectations of 26 cents per share, according to a survey by Thomson Reuters.

Revenue dropped 16 percent to $933 million, down from $1.08 billion a year ago. Analysts forecast an average revenue of $986.2 million.

The company said strong performance at its fee-based business offset "much lower" commodity prices.

Additionally, declining profits and a lower effective tax rate pushed down income tax expense from continuing operations by nearly two-thirds to $54 million from $145 million in the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead, Spectra said its on track to meet its earnings-per-share target of $1.15 for 2009. Analyst are predicting a profit of $1.14 per share.

Spectra shares fell 2 cents to $19.45 in midday trading.

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