Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) is expected to report declines in sales and profits for its fiscal fourth quarter when it announces earnings after the bell on Thursday, reflecting the impact of declining sales of computers, many of which come with Microsoft's software.
Analysts on average estimate that Microsoft will post earnings of 36 cents a share for the period ending June 30, on $14.38 billion in revenue, according to data from Thomson Reuters.
That would be down 10 cents a share on $15.84 billion for the same period a year ago.
Microsoft's new Bing search engine has been gaining marketshare, and Microsoft is reportedly close to finalizing at last a search and online advertising deal with Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO). But search is still a relatively small portion of the software maker's business.
Yahoo! announced earnings after market close Tuesday, with profits up 10% -- beating analyst expectations of 8% -- but with revenues sliding 13%.
Also after the bell, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:APPL) reported its best nonholiday quarter of earnings and revenues in the company's history, thanks largely to the success of the iPhone. Earnings came in at $1.35 per diluted share, well above expectations.
Last week, Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) posted its slowest sales growth since the company went public in 2004. - Mary Kathleen Flynn
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