STOCKS TO WATCH: InfoSpace, PeopleSoft, Qualcomm, Symantec
Expect the following technology stocks to be among Thursday's most actively traded issues: InfoSpace, PeopleSoft, Qualcomm and Symantec.
InfoSpace will garner some attention Thursday after it topped analysts' reduced estimates in its first quarter, posting a loss of $5.5 million, or 2 cents a share, on sales of $46.6 million.
First Call consensus expected the provider of technology and services for online content and commerce to lose 4 cents a share in the quarter.
Its shares closed up 36 cents to $3.91 ahead of the report before moving up to $4.17 in after-hours trading.
The $46.6 million in sales marks a 20 percent improvement from the year-ago quarter when it earned $14.8 million, or 4 cents a share, on sales of $38.8 million.
But sales fell 30 percent from the prior quarter when it earned $12.6 million, or 4 cents a share, on sales of $66.1 million.
InfoSpace exited the quarter with more than 2 million registered wireless subscribers and derived more than 20 percent of total sales from these customers.
The e-business software developer should take off Thursday after it beat the Street in its latest quarter, earning $36.1 million, or 11 cents a share, on sales of $503.1 million.
Analysts were expecting a profit of 9 cents a share in the quarter.
In the year-ago quarter, it raked in $11 million, or 4 cents a share, on sales of $375.4 million.
PeopleSoft shares closed off 6 cents to $29.93 ahead of the earnings report before surging to $33.49 in after-hours trading.
Qualcomm shares are expected to slide Thursday after the digital communications equipment maker met analysts' profit estimates in its second quarter but slashed its guidance for the third quarter.
In the second quarter, Qualcomm pocketed 29 cents a share on sales of $649 million.
First Call consensus pegged it for a profit of 29 cents a share on sales of $698.1 million.
Company executives told analysts to brace for third-quarter earnings of 21 cents a share, well below the current consensus estimate of 29 cents a share.
It also lowered full-year estimates to a profit of $1.05 a share, also below the consensus estimate of $1.26 a share.
Qualcomm shares finished up $3.48 to $62.98 ahead of the earnings report before tumbling to $54.86 in after-hours trading.
The Internet security software maker will be worth watching after it tiptoed past analysts' estimates in its fourth quarter.
In the quarter, Symantec earned 62 cents a share on sales of $250.6 million.
Analysts were expecting a profit of 61 cents a share.
Sales for the fiscal year rose to $944.2 million, up 14 percent from the prior year when it recorded sales of $826.6 million.
Its shares finished off 31 cents to $57.27 ahead of the results before moving up to $59.90 in after-hours trading.