BMC software (BMC)

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UPDATE 1-BMC profit falls, revenue misses forecast

*Q4 EPS excluding items 64 cents vs Street view 62 cents

*Q4 revenue at $479 million vs Street view $487 million

*Shares fall 4.9 percent in extended trade

BOSTON, May 12 (Reuters) - Business software maker BMC Software Inc (BMC.N) reported lower profit on Tuesday as currency headwinds hurt revenue, which missed Wall Street projections.

BMC's shares declined 4.9 percent in extended trade.

The company, whose software helps businesses automate data center operations, reported net profit for the fourth quarter ended March 31 of $83 million, or 45 cents a share, versus $97 million, or 50 cents, a year earlier.

Revenue rose 3 percent to $479 million at the company, whose rivals include CA Inc (CA.O), Hewlett-Packard Co (HPQ.N) and International Business Machines Corp (IBM.N). But that missed the $487 million average forecast of analysts polled by Reuters Estimates.

Chief Executive Bob Beauchamp said that currency fluctuations took $20 million out of revenue.

The company reported fourth-quarter profit, excluding items, of 64 cents per share. Analysts, on average, were expecting a profit excluding items of 62 cents per share.

BMC forecast it will report profit excluding items of $2.37 to $2.47 per share in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010.

Analysts are expecting profit of $2.42.

Its shares fell 4.9 percent to $33.33 after-hours. They had gained 65 cents to close at $35.05 on New York Stock Exchange trade. (Reporting by Jim Finkle; Editing Bernard Orr)

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSN1234140520090512