Tibco Q1 Sales, Profit Forecast Light, but Shares Still Rise

After infrastructure software vendor Tibco (TIBX) this afternoon beat profit estimates for its fiscal fourth quarter, company management held a conference call with analysts and offered a fiscal first-quarter forecast, and the profit outlook may not be as bad as some might have worried.

The company anticipates sales for the three months ending in February of $140 million to $144 million, well below analysts’ average estimate of $154 million and a decline from $146 million a year earlier. The company’s gross profit margin is expected to decline from last quarter’s 76 percent or so to 74 percent, the company forecast, while non-GAAP operating profit will be 13.5 to 15 percent of sales. That adds up to profit per share, excluding some costs, of seven cents to eight cents per quarter, the company said.

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