* Quaker Oats Co. said its fourth-quarter...

* Quaker Oats Co. said its fourth-quarter profit from operations crept up 1.1% to $45.5 million, or 33 cents a share, matching estimates, as it spent more on advertising to promote such brands as Gatorade drinks and Cap’n Crunch cereals. Sales fell 1.5% to $949.1 million from $963.3 million, including businesses that have been sold.

* Park Place Entertainment Corp. said its fourth-quarter profit more than doubled to $34 million, or 11 cents a share, from $16 million, or 5 cents, a year earlier, as its 5-month-old Paris Las Vegas Casino Resort drove cash flow sharply higher. The results matched estimates. Revenue at the company, which owns the Hilton, Bally’s and Grand casino chains, rose 19% to $850 million.

* CNH Global, the farm and construction equipment company created by last year’s acquisition of Case Corp. by Netherlands-based New Holland, said its fourth-quarter loss widened to $32 million, or 21 cents a share, from a loss of $3 million, or 2 cents, a year ago. Revenue slipped 9% to $2.45 billion. Analysts had expected a loss of 24 cents. The Racine, Wis.-based company also said it will cut about 7,000 jobs, or 20% of its global work force, by 2002.