Earnings: McDonald's, UPS, NY Times Co., AT&T

— -- A handful of companies including McDonald's, UPS and AT&T reported a drop in earnings for the second quarter on Thursday, despite having fared better than analysts predicted. The New York Times Co. unexpectedly posted a rise in profit.

The weak economy also continued to sap its landline business.

The country's largest telecommunications provider said Thursday it earned $3.20 billion, or 54 cents a share, in the April to June period. That was down from $3.77 billion, or 63 cents a share, a year earlier.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters were expecting earnings of 51 cents a share.

AT&T's revenue fell 0.6% to $30.7 billion, matching analyst expectations.

AT&T activated more than 2.4 million iPhones in the quarter, and more than a third of those activations for customers who were new to the carrier.

Analysts expected profit of 97 cents a share.

Revenue fell 7% to $5.65 billion because of the effect of translating foreign currency into dollars.

Same-store sales rose 4.8% globally and 3.5% in the U.S. The nation's No. 1 hamburger chain has benefited during the recession from consumers' desire for cheaper food.

The publisher of The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The International Herald-Tribune and 15 other daily newspapers said Thursday that it earned $39.1 million, or 27 cents a share, from April through June. That compares with a profit of $21.1 million, or 15 cents a share, in the same quarter a year ago.