EARNINGS
Microsoft announced record fourth-quarter revenue of US$16.04 billion for the quarter ended June 30, a 22% increase from the same period of the prior year. Operating income, net income and diluted earnings per share for the quarter were, respectively, $5.93 billion, $4.52 billion and $0.51 per share, which represented increases of 49%, 48% and 50% when compared with the prior-year period. The successful launch of Office 2010 and strong performance from Windows 7, which the company said has sold more than 175 million licenses, were major contributors to the earnings, the company said in its filing. For the full fiscal year ended June 30, the company reported record revenue of $62.48 billion. Net income for the year was $18.76 billion, a 29% increase over the previous year.
CA Technologies of Islandia, N.Y., reported revenues of US$1.091 billion for its first fiscal 2011 quarter, a 5% increase over the $1.044 billion posted for the same quarter a year ago. GAAP income from continuous operations was $223 million, up 14% for the same year-ago quarter when $195 million in income was reported. The company attributed the revenue growth to sales generated from the acquisition of three other software companies: NetQoS, Nimsoft and 3tera. In the quarter, the company also divested itself of its non-strategic Information Governance business. Also, the company returned to the Fortune 500 list, which it missed in 2009, and repurchased more than 2 million shares of CA stock for $40 million.
SAP announced the completion of the acquisition of Sybase by SAP subsidiary Sheffield Acquisition Corp., paying US$65 per share for roughly 81 million shares of tendered stock. SAP said it will effect a short-form merger as quickly as possible, meaning that no further meetings of Sybase stockholders will be required. SAP will operate Sybase as a wholly owned subsidiary, and Sybase shares will no longer be traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
IBM has entered into an agreement with the Wroclaw University of Technology in Poland to establish the first university cloud-computing center there. The university in turn will add courses focused on the cloud to more than 1,500 students. “The new cloud center will provide a common platform for students and professors, industry partners and government agencies to work on real solutions based on cloud computing that will align people and technology effectively, and will generate value for both services providers and clients,” said Czeslaw Smutnicki, director of the Institute of Computer Engineering, Control and Robotics, Wroclaw University of Technology. IBM is looking to further develop this program with universities around the world.
