CA Earnings May Be Shy of Estimates

Enterprise software maker Computer Associates International Inc. said its fiscal second-quarter earnings, excluding acquisition charges, were likely to be in the range of 50 cents to 54 cents a share--just below the Wall Street consensus. Although the New York-based company said analysts’ expectations varied widely due to market uncertainty with respect to the enterprise software marketplace, First Call/Thomson Financial said the analysts’ consensus was for earnings of 56 cents a share. CA said total contract value for the period ended Sept. 30 was expected to be between $1.67 billion and $1.70 billion, exceeding the $1.61 billion recorded in the second quarter of last year and the $1.28 billion posted last quarter. CA shares fell 44 cents to close at $24.44 in regular New York Stock Exchange trading, but were halted for trading in after hours activity.