Microsoft posted a 7% gain in net profit as demand for its Office software and improved results from its online arm more than compensated for a $1.1 billion charge to repair Xbox video game consoles.
Microsoft also slightly raised full-year earnings and revenue forecasts citing demand for new software products like its Windows Server 2008.
The company said yesterday net profit was $3.04 billion, or 31c per diluted share, in its fiscal fourth quarter, up from $2.83 billion, or 28c per diluted share, a year earlier. Sales rose 13% to $13.4 billion.
The earnings met analysts' expectations while sales were slightly better than the target of $13.27 billion, according to Reuters Estimates.
"They beat by a little bit and raised by a little bit," said Jane Snorek, technology analyst at First American Funds. "There were some expectations that with this PC boom we would see some big upside, but I guess not."
But strong personal computer sales did not pay off as much as some analysts had hoped, and shares dipped about 2% in extended trade to $30.88 after closing at $31.51 on Nasdaq. It had run up nearly 6% since Monday on expectations of good results.
Microsoft said it estimated the personal computer market to have grown between 11% and 13% in the past three months. The company forecast PC market growth of 9% to 11% this year with Windows sales expected to move in line.
"Many of the same factors that helped us be successful in 2007, such as a healthy PC hardware market, customer acceptance of our new versions of Office and Windows will help propel us in 2008," Microsoft CFO Chris Liddell said during a conference call with analysts.
For the current quarter, Microsoft sees diluted earnings per share of between 38c and 40c, based on a revenue range of $12.4 billion to $12.6 billion. The average estimates of Wall Street analysts are for earnings per share of 38c on sales of $12.5 billion, according to Reuters Estimates.
The company lifted both ends of its fiscal 2008 earnings-per-share forecast range by a penny, to $1.69 to $1.73. The fiscal 2008 revenue range was raised $300 million to a range of $56.8 billion to $57.8 billion.
Xbox aims for profit
The world's largest software maker had warned earlier this month that it would incur a charge of up to $1.15 billion in the quarter ended in June to fix an "unacceptable" number of Xbox 360 repairs and offer a new extended warranty to customers.
Microsoft said it still aims for its entertainment and devices division to turn profitable in fiscal 2008, with a boost expected from the September release of Halo 3, the latest instalment of one of the best-selling game franchises.
The company said the Microsoft Business division, home to its Office business, posted a 19% rise in revenue to $4.63 billion, exceeding its sales expectations by $200 million on the back of Office 2007 demand.
Its online services group notched a third-straight quarter of revenue growth with an increase of 19% from a year earlier, boosted by a 33% rise in Web advertising.
The segment's improved sales still did not lead the division to profit. Microsoft's 19% sales growth at its online unit also pales in comparison to Google's 58% revenue growth in the prior quarter.
Microsoft's server and tools business expects revenue to grow 14% to 15% this year, boosted by several new products being introduced, including Windows Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 database software.
Microsoft stock has risen 6% in the year to date, compared with a 10% gain in the S&P 500 during the period.
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