2010-10-29 04:20:36
Buttons with Microsoft logo Microsoft said it had been an "exceptional" quarter
Microsoft has announced a 51% rise in first-quarter profit, thanks to higher
sales of its flagship Windows and Office software.
Net profit for the three months to September came in at $5.4bn ( 3.4bn).
Revenues increased by 25% to $16.2bn - a company record for the first quarter.
But Microsoft said that in the same quarter last year it had deferred some
revenue from Windows sales. Had it not done so, its net profit would have been
only 16% higher in comparison.
"This was an exceptional quarter, combining solid enterprise growth and
continued strong consumer demand for Office 2010, Windows 7, and Xbox 360
consoles and games," said Peter Klein, chief financial officer at Microsoft.
Windows sales rose 66% on a year earlier to $4.8bn, while Office and other
business software brought in $5.1bn, a 14% increase on last year.
'Firing on all cylinders'
Microsoft shares rose 2.8% in after-hours trading.
Its stock has fallen 14% so far this year as investors worry about its ability
to adapt to new ways of computing.
Last week, its chief software architect Ray Ozzie unexpectedly resigned, and
warned that the company must think "beyond the PC".
But its latest results were better than analysts had expected.
"Microsoft had a very good quarter," said Toan Tran, an analyst at Morningstar.
"Windows is still doing well, Office is doing well, and servers and tools are
doing well. The big three businesses are firing on all cylinders as the PC
upgrade cycle continues."