SKF Q2 pretax beats consensus, sees flat demand

STOCKHOLM, July 15 (Reuters) - World number one bearings maker SKF (SKFb.ST) posted a smaller-than-expected drop in second-quarter pretax earnings on Wednesday and said it expected demand to remain relatively unchanged in the coming months.

The Swedish manufacturer reported a pretax profit of 312 million crowns ($39.7 million) in the quarter versus year-ago earnings of 1.98 million and the mean forecast for a 181 million profit seen in a Reuters poll of analysts.