Microsoft (MSFT) posted fiscal fourth-quarter earnings that impressed Wall Street, buoyed by increased corporate spending and sales of Windows 7, which the company boasts is its fastest-selling operating system ever, as well as the release of Office 2010.
Shares of the blue-chip, however, fell slightly after the results were released.
The tech giant weighed in with profit that rose 48% to $4.52 billion, or 51 cents a share, compared with earnings of $3.05 billion, or 34 cents a share, in the fiscal fourth quarter of last year.
Revenue rose 22% to $16.04 billion during the quarter, up from last year’s sales of $13.10 billion, as all five of the company’s business divisions saw sales increase during the quarter.
Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had predicted 46 cents a share, well below the company’s fourth-quarter results, as revenue handily topped consensus estimates for $15.27 billion.
"This quarter's record revenue reflects the breadth of our offerings and our continued product momentum," said Peter Klein, chief financial officer, in a release. "The revenue growth, combined with our ongoing cost discipline, helped us achieve another quarter of margin expansion."
Shares of Microsoft gained 72 cents on Thursday, closing the session at $25.84. The stock fell 13 cents, or half a percent, in electronic trading after the results were announced.
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