BEA Systems Posts Strong Results

Updated from 8:29 a.m. EST

BEA SystemsBEAS reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results Thursday as both revenue and net income jumped about 12% from a year earlier.

Contrary to what some analysts feared, BEA said first-quarter revenue could come in stronger than expected as momentum builds behind its new products.

BEA shares were recently up 51 cents, or 4%, to $13.45.

Under generally accepted accounting principles, San Jose, Calif.-based BEA Systems reported net income of $39.3 million, or 9 cents a share, in the fourth quarter, which ended Jan. 31. That compared with net income of $35 million, or 8 cents a share, in the same period a year earlier.

Excluding charges, BEA Systems said it booked pro forma net income of $42.8 million, or 10 cents a share, in the fourth quarter, compared with pro forma net income of $37.3 million, or 9 cents a share, a year earlier. That was a penny better than analysts' estimates gathered by Thomson First Call.

Revenue rose nearly 12% to $278.1 million from a year ago and climbed 10% sequentially, beating the consensus estimate of $267.3 million.

BEA, a maker of middleware that allows business software applications to work together, said license revenue rose to $143.1 million, up 6% from a year ago and up 12% sequentially. That exceeded the average estimate from six analysts, which called for $141.6 million in license revenue for the fourth quarter.