Interactive Intelligence 2Q profit to fall short

Communication software maker Interactive Intelligence Inc. said Monday it expects a second-quarter profit that is below Wall Street's estimates, due in part to weaker-than-expected sales from existing customers.

For the quarter ended June 30, the company expects to report earnings of between $500,000 and $1 million, or 3 cents to 5 cents per share. On an adjusted basis, excluding stock-based compensation expense and non-cash income tax expense, the company forecasts earnings of between $2.2 million and $2.7 million, or 12 cents to 14 cents per share.

Total revenue is expected to be between $30 million and $31 million.

Analysts polled by Thomson Financial, on average, estimate earnings of 17 cents per share on sales of $31.8 million. Analyst estimates typically exclude one-time, unusual items.

The company said orders from new customers were strong, but that orders from existing customers were less than expected. "While we have more to understand about purchasing decisions during the quarter, it's clear that the current economic environment limited expansions of existing implementations," said Chief Executive Donald E. Brown in a statement.

Interactive Intelligence plans to release full second-quarter financial results on July 28.