SAN FRANCISCO: Oracle, one of the worlds top three software makers, said Tuesday that fourth-quarter profit had risen 23 percent, buoyed by recent acquisitions.

Net income rose to $1.6 billion from $1.3 billion a year earlier, Oracle said in a statement. Sales rose 20 percent to $5.83 billion in the quarter that ended May 31.

Oracle, based in Redwood City, California, increased its customer pool last quarter with four acquisitions, including the $3.3 billion purchase of Hyperion Solutions. Ranked third behind Microsoft and International Business Machines in global software sales, Oracle has spent more than $20 billion buying rivals since 2005, making it the most acquisitive company in the industry.

“The juggernaut continues,” said Sarah Friar, an analyst at Goldman Sachs. “This company continues to execute well.”

Profit, excluding acquisition expenses and other costs, was 37 cents a share, beating the 35-cent average estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Oracle had forecast profit of 34 cents a share, after 29 cents a year earlier. Oracle typically reports its biggest profit and sales in its fourth quarter.

The shares fell 32 cents to $19.16 on the Nasdaq exchange in New York. They have advanced 12 percent this year.

Acquisitions have propelled Oracle beyond its original database programs into business-management applications and middleware, software that connects servers. Oracle has purchased 31 companies since January 2005, including PeopleSoft and Siebel Systems.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 30th, 2007 at 8:45 pm While Dave was in Money. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.