Net income for Avery Dennison Corp., which has a retail information services center in Miamisburg, fell 18 percent from $54.7 million in the first quarter last year to $44.8 million for the first quarter of 2011, the company reported Wednesday.

That drop left earnings at 42 cents per share, down from 51 cents per share in the same quarter last year, the company said.

However, net sales for the most recent quarter reached $987 million, up from $897.2 million in the first quarter of 2010, Avery Dennison said.

“Avery Dennison delivered solid sales growth in the first quarter, with strong performances by pressure-sensitive materials and retail branding and information solutions,” Dean Scarborough, Avery Dennison chairman, president and chief executive, said in a statement.

Offering products and services in retail branding, radio frequency identification and other areas, Pasadena, Calif.-based Avery Dennison has about 700 employees in Miamisburg.