Microsoft Corp posted an 11 percent rise in quarterly net profit on Thursday, boosted by a strong performance at its database division and shrinking losses from its Xbox 360 video game console.
The world's largest software maker also raised its full-year sales outlook, lifted in part by the upcoming launches of a new Office software suite and Windows Vista, the first major upgrade of its operating system in five years.
Microsoft's stock price, up 25 percent since June, has already reflected investor optimism over the new product offerings. In after-hours trade, Microsoft shares rose to $28.50 from a close of $28.35 on Nasdaq.
"On balance the numbers look pretty good," said Brian Barish, president of Cambiar Investors in Denver. "Even though revenues should grow above trend with Vista, you weren't going to see much earnings growth."
The company now forecasts full-year sales between $50 billion and $50.9 billion - $200 million to $300 million higher than a July estimate - and it cut the high end of its earnings outlook by a penny, now seeing a range of $1.43 to $1.46 per share.
Wall Street analysts have been looking for a full-year profit of $1.44 per share on sales of $50.3 billion.
But Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell told Reuters in an interview that the full-year earnings outlook was stronger than it might first appear.
A $20 billion tender offer for shares set for August was not fully completed, leaving a larger share base that would lower earnings by 3 cents per share more than previously anticipated, he said. The company aimed to make that up with a better performance and other share repurchase programs.
"That's primarily due to the fact that the tender was not fully subscribed, but we're obviously very happy that we are able to maintain the range we previously had," Liddell said.
"The way I look at it, we are able to make up all of that shortfall," he said.
In its first quarter ended September 30, net profit rose to $3.48 billion, or 35 cents per diluted share, from $3.14 billion, or 29 cents per diluted share, a year ago. Sales rose 11 percent to $10.8 billion in the quarter.
Analysts, on average, had forecast earnings per share of 31 cents on revenue of $10.7 billion, based on Reuters Estimates. Microsoft posted sales and profit growth at its server and tools business, powered by a 30 percent year-on-year rise in sales of its database software platform, SQL Server, and solid demand for its Windows server software.
The company also said it had sold 6 million Xbox 360 video game consoles since the launch last November, and losses at its entertainment and devices division shrank to $96 million from $173 million a year ago and $414 million the previous quarter.
"We're progressively lowering the manufacturing costs of the console," said Liddell, expressing confidence that it can reach its goal to sell 10 million units by the end of 2006. "For the ones we do sell, we are in a better shape from a loss-per-console perspective."
Microsoft also repeated its plan to defer revenue of $1.5 billion related to the launch of Vista and Office 2007 from the current quarter to its fiscal third quarter.
Including the effects of the deferral, which will reduce profit this quarter by 11 cents per share, Microsoft forecast second-quarter profit of between 22 cents and 24 cents per share on revenue of $11.8 billion to $12.4 billion. Analysts, on average, had forecast second-quarter earnings of 36 cents per share on sales of $13.4 billion, according to Reuters Estimates.
The revenue deferral stems from a coupon program announced this week to allow buyers of personal computers to upgrade to Vista and Office 2007 when they debut next year. Microsoft said the deferral will have no impact on full-year results.
Microsoft is expected to launch Windows Vista and Office 2007 for corporate customers this quarter, and for retail consumers early next year. The two product lines comprise more than half of Microsoft's revenue and almost all of its profit.
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