Nice Systems Q3 profit meets estimates
* Q3 EPS ex-items $0.62 vs $0.62 forecast
* Revenue up 4.2 pct to $230.1 mln
* Sees Q4 revenue $260-$275 mln, adj EPS $0.72-$0.77
TEL AVIV, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Israel-based software provider Nice Systems reported lower quarterly profit that met estimates, and predicted a strong end of the year, in part due to growing demand for analytics products.
Nice said on Wednesday it earned 62 cents per diluted share excluding one-time items in the third quarter, down from 64 cents a year earlier, after posting higher operating expenses.
Revenue grew 4.2 percent to $230.1 million.
The company was forecast to have recorded EPS of 62 cents on revenue of $233.6 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Nice itself had projected revenue of $225-$240 million and EPS of 55-66 cents.
"We believe that with the robust demand for our products and a healthy pipeline of large, multi-product deals, we are well-positioned for a strong finish to the year," said Zeevi Bregman, Nice's chief executive.
During the quarter, Nice said it took advantage of a special Israeli government programme that allows local companies to release so-called trapped profits by paying a discounted tax payment.
As a result, Nice reported a tax expense of $19.2 million, or 31 cents a share. The total cash payment related to the release of trapped profits as well as a tax audit settlement was $30.9 million. Including one-time items, Nice lost 6 cents per share, down from a quarterly gain of 27 cents a year earlier.
Nice has benefited from growing demand for tools to delve into large amounts of data as companies look to improve their businesses, spot fraud and fend off security threats.
Nice also makes sure call centres work efficiently, while its systems aid in surveillance for security forces trying to protect buildings and transport networks against attack.
The company forecast fourth-quarter revenue of $260-$275 million and adjusted EPS of 72 to 77 cents. Nice also lowered the upper end of its 2013 expectations and now sees for revenue of $940-$955 million and EPS ex-items of $2.55-$2.60.
Nice declared a quarterly dividend of 16 cents a share, unchanged from the first two quarters.
