Rowan Companies, Inc. said profit in the third quarter jumped 50% on overseas demand for its offshore oil rigs and drilling services. The Houston drilling contractor and equipment maker said profit in the three months ended Sept. 30 rose to $130.8m, or $1.16 a share, from $87m, or 78 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. Profit in the most recent quarter included a penny a share in gains on asset sales. Revenue rose 20% to $502.2m, short of the $530m anticipated by Wall Street. Shares fell 2.1% to $38.17 by the close compared with a 1% drop in the Philadelphia Oil Service Index. Rowan said revenue from its drilling operations rose 27% to $369m as the pace of activity on its offshore rigs quickened, and it got paid more for daily operations.