Affiliated Computer posts 18 pct drop in 1Q profit

Affiliated Computer's 1st-quarter earnings fall 18 percent after compensation costs

• On 8:24 pm EDT, Thursday October 22, 2009

DALLAS (AP) -- Affiliated Computer Services Inc., which provides technology help to other companies, said Thursday its fiscal first-quarter profit fell 18 percent due to $9 million in deferred compensation costs.

Net income dropped to $68.8 million, or 70 cents per share, in the quarter, from $83.6 million, or 85 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Adjusted net income was 95 cents per share.

Quarterly revenue increased 5 percent to $1.68 billion from $1.6 billion in the previous year.

On average, analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected a profit of 94 cents per share on sales of $1.69 billion.

The company said it won new contracts in the quarter worth $833 million, or $212 million in annual recurring revenue.

Last month, Xerox Corp. said it will buy ACS for $18.60 per share in cash plus 4.935 Xerox shares for each ACS share. Xerox, based in Norwalk, Conn., will also take on $2 billion of ACS's debt and issue $300 million of convertible preferred stock to ACS's Class B shareholders.

ACS shares rose $2.60, or 5 percent, to end at $54.41 Thursday.