STOCKS TO WATCH: Apple, Citrix, Commerce One, Excite@Home and Informix

Apple shares should catch fire Thursday after the PC maker easily topped analysts' estimates in its second quarter and set a 2-for-1 stock split, its first since June 1987.

Apple raked in $160 million, or 88 cents a share, on sales of $1.94 billion.

First Call consensus expected it to earn 81 cents a share in the quarter.

Ahead of the earnings report, its shares fell 5 3/4 to 121 1/8.

Including the proceeds from the sale of 1.5 million shares of ARM Holdings, Apple earned $233 million, or $1.28 a share.

In the quarter, Apple sold just over 1 million units, a 26 percent improvement from the year-ago quarter.

Company officials said strong demand for its PowerMac G4s and new PowerBook units fueled the upside surprise.

Citrix Systems looks to make some nice gains after it hurdled analysts' estimates in its first quarter, pocketing $43.9 million, or 21 cents a share, on sales of $127.5 million.

First Call consensus expected software developer to earn 19 cents a share in the quarter.

Its shares closed off 7/8 to 65 1/4 ahead of the earnings report.

Including the amortization of intangible assets relating to business combinations, Citrix earned $38.5 million, or 19 cents a share, in the quarter.

The $127.5 million in sales marks a 50 percent improvement from the year-ago quarter when it earned $28.2 million, or 15 cents a share, on sales of $85 million.

Commerce One posted a smaller-than-expected loss in its first quarter, dropping $14 million, or 9 cents a share.

Analysts predicted it would lose 12 cents a share in the quarter.

Its shares closed up 13 1/16 to 95 7/16 ahead of the earnings report before surging to 98 1/16 in after-hours trading.

Including all expenses, Commerce One lost $12.3 million, or 14 cents per share.

Excite@Home should take a pounding Thursday after it missed analysts' estimates in its first quarter and said it will report an operating loss of between 25 cents and 30 cents a share this year.

It posted a loss of $4.6 million, or 1 cent a share, on sales of $138 million.

First Call consensus expected it to break even in the quarter.

Excite@Home shares fell 2 15/16 to 19 15/16 ahead of the earnings report.

The $138 million in sales represents a 75 percent improvement from the year-ago quarter when it lost $6 million, or 2 cents a share, on sales of $78.7 million.

In its release, company officials said it will increase its international spending, resulting in a likely operating loss of between 25 cents to 30 cents a share in the fiscal year.

Analysts were expecting a profit of 10 cents a share this year.

Excite@Home shares have fallen on hard times of late, slumping to a 52-week low of 18 1/16 earlier this month after surging as high as 84 13/16 last April.

Informix strolled past Street estimates in its first quarter Wednesday, posting a profit of $27 million, or 9 cents a share, on sales of $250.9 million.

First Call consensus expected the database software developer to earn 8 cents a share in the quarter.

Ahead of the earnings report, its shares closed off 1/16 to 16 15/16.

Informix said its Web business jumped 352 percent from the year-ago period while its business intelligence unit reported a 42 percent improvement.

Last quarter, it earned $45.4 million, or 21 cents a share, on sales of $251.1 million.

Its shares hit a 52-week high of 21 1/4 earlier this month after wilting to a low of 6 in September.