Shares in Bell Industries dipped 2 percent after the company reported its fifth straight quarterly loss.

Bell reported a loss for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31 of $4.3 million (-50 cents per share), more than twice as much as a $1.5 million (-18 cents) loss for the same period a year earlier. The company blamed the loss on costs associated with its acquisition of SkyTel Corp., a paging and vehicle tracking company, and its expanding technology business.

Revenues for the diverse El Segundo company, which also makes recreational products and provides outsourced service, jumped 12 percent to $27 million, from $23.4 million a year ago.

For 2006, the company reported a net loss of $2.9 million (134 cents), compared to a loss of $800,000 (-9 cents) from the year before. The company said the loss was driven by taxes exceeding $4 million from discontinued operations. Revenues fell 2 percent to $120 million.

Shares in Bell were down 10 cents to $4.90 in afternoon trading Tuesday on the American Stock Exchange.