MURRAY OHIO <MUR> SEES HIGHER FIRST QUARTER NET Murray Ohio Manufacturing Co said it expects first quarter earnings to be higher than the year-ago 4,800,840 dlrs or 1.25 dlrs per share due to excellent lawn and garden shipments. The company said bicycle sales were soft early in the period, but recent orders and shipments have been running well ahead of last year. It said it expects to meet analysts' projections of earnings for the full year of 1.50 dlrs per share and it could possibly exceed the estimate if orders continue strong.