Business Notes ACQUISITIONS

For nearly a century the name Eastman Kodak has been almost synonymous with photography. But in recent years the Rochester company has branched out into fields as far-ranging as computer disks and batteries. Last week Kodak made its most sweeping diversification move yet. The firm agreed to pay $5.1 billion to acquire Sterling Drug, the maker of such popular products as Bayer aspirin and Lysol cleaners. New York City-based Sterling welcomed the agreement as a way of escaping a takeover bid by F. Hoffmann-La Roche, the Swiss drug company.

The deal underscores Kodak's swift financial turnaround. In 1985 and 1986 the company suffered six straight quarters of declining profits, but in the first nine months of 1987 earnings more than tripled from the same period the previous year, to $936 million.