CA fiscal 4Q profit rises slightly

Information technology management software company CA Inc. said Wednesday that its fiscal fourth-quarter profit rose slightly as cost-cutting moves balanced out a decline in revenue.

For the quarter that ended March 31, CA earned $72 million, or 13 cents per share, compared with $71 million, or 13 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter.

When excluding certain items, the company earned 31 cents per share, which is 2 cents higher than what analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected.

CA's revenue fell 5 percent to $1.04 billion, but came in ahead of the $1.03 billion analysts were looking for.

The company said subscription and maintenance revenue dipped 4 percent to $913 million, while professional services revenue fell 18 percent to $84 million. Software fees and other revenue rose nearly 23 percent to $38 million.

CA also reported expenses fell nearly 9 percent to $855 million from $935 million in the same quarter last year. This came mostly through lower selling and marketing expenses, which fell to $299 million from $371 million last year.

For the full fiscal year, CA earned $694 million, or $1.29 per share, compared with $500 million, or 93 cents per share, in fiscal 2008. Revenue totaled $4.27 billion during the year, down slightly from $4.28 billion in the prior year.

For the fiscal year ending next March, CA expects a profit of $1.39 to $1.49 per share, or $1.51 to $1.61 per share on an adjusted basis. Analysts expect an adjusted profit of $1.58 per share.

The company predicted revenue of $4.16 billion to $4.24 billion. This is lower than the $4.29 billion analysts expect.

CA shares fell 23 cents in after-hours trading, after finishing regular trading down 22 cents at $17.32.