BEA Systems' 4Q Profit SoarsBEA Systems' 4Q Profit Soars

BEA Systems says its fourth-quarter profit more than tripled to $35 million, and revenue rose 8% to $249.3 million. But software license sales declined slightly, and the middleware company predicted a "normal seasonal downtick" in sales for the first quarter, which ends in April.

Software license sales fell 2% during the quarter ended Jan. 31, the company reported Thursday, as revenue growth came from sales of service and support to existing customers. CFO Bill Klein says license fees will be about half of first-quarter revenue, which he estimates will be $235 million to $239 million.