SEATTLE (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research)forecast on Thursday next year’s earnings to rise between 13 percentand 18 percent, predicting continued strength from its main softwarebusinesses as it aims to bolster its Web unit with an acquisition ofYahoo Inc (YHOO.O: Quote, Profile, Research).
For the March quarter, Microsoft posted a fall in quarterly profitfrom a year ago when the software maker got a one-time earnings bumpfrom revenue deferred by the delays in releasing upgrades to itsWindows and Office software.
The world’s largest software maker reported results two days beforea deadline set by Chief Executive Steve Ballmer for Yahoo’s board toaccept Microsoft’s $44.1 billion unsolicited takeover offer or face aproxy fight.
Microsoft projected earnings per share in its 2009 fiscal yearstarting in July to be in a range of $2.13 to $2.19 per share versus aforecast range of earnings of $1.86 to $1.89 per share this year. Itcalled for revenue in a range of $66.9 billion to $68.0 billion nextyear.
Wall Street analysts, on average, are forecasting Microsoft to earn$2.10 per share in fiscal 2009, with estimates ranging from $2.00 to$2.20 per share, on revenue of $66.5 billion, according to ReutersEstimates.
(Reporting by Daisuke Wakabayashi; Editing by Braden Reddall)
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