Microsoft Earns 35 Cents a Share, Beating Estimates

The software giant's third quarter shows strong growth.

Author:: David Shabelman
Publish date:: Apr 20, 1999 4:30 PM EDT

SAN FRANCISCO -- Microsoft (MSFT) - Get Report once again beat Wall Street estimates, posting third-quarter earnings of 35 cents a share.

For the quarter ended March 31, the Redmond, Wash.-based tech behemoth earned $1.92 billion on revenue of $4.33 billion. For the year-ago third quarter, earnings were $1.34 billion, or 25 cents a share, on revenue of $3.77 billion.

First Call

forecast third-quarter earnings of 32 cents a share.

The software maker, whose stock is the most richly capitalized in the U.S. at about $357 billion, routinely beats Wall Street's estimates by a comfortable margin. As a result, observers often focus on guidance the company provides on earnings prospects in future quarters.

Ahead of the announcement, shares of the company closed up 2 3/32, or 2.6%, at 83 3/32.