Thursday's Tech Winners & Losers

Shares of BEA Systems(BEAS) were among technology's losers Thursday, sliding 17% after the software company reported disappointing third-quarter revenue figures.

For the period ended Oct. 31, BEA reported revenue of $347.7 million, below the $348.7 million that analysts expected. During the year-earlier quarter, the company posted revenue of $291.5 million. BEA said it won't report third-quarter earnings until it completes an internal review of its historical stock-option grants. Shares, which had climbed by nearly 67% since the beginning of the year, recently were down $2.68 to $13.01 on heavy volume.

Applied Materials(AMAT) fell 4% after the chip-equipment maker's fourth-quarter results missed expectations. For the period ended Oct. 29, the company earned $449 million, or 30 cents a share, on revenue of $2.52 billion. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call expected earnings of 31 cents a share and revenue of $2.56 billion. A year earlier, the company earned $246.7 million, or 15 cents a share, on revenue of $1.72 billion.

Applied Materials forecast first-quarter earnings of 26 cents to 27 cents a share, including 3 cents a share in stock-based compensation costs. The company predicts revenue of $2.27 billion to $2.39 billion. Analysts project earnings of 29 cents a share on revenue of $2.47 billion. Shares were trading down 75 cents to $17.90.

Shares of Allot Communications(ALLT) jumped 18% on their first day of trading. The software company's initial public offering priced at $12 a share, above the proposed range of $9 to $11 a share. After deducting expenses, Allot expects to receive about $70.5 million in net proceeds from the 6.5-million share offering. Lehman Brothers and Deutsche Bank Securities led the underwriting syndicate. Shares recently traded at $14.17, up $2.17.