Novell posts 2nd-qtr profit; Linux sales rise : US Business

BOSTON (Reuters) - Novell Inc turned a quarterly profit, versus a year-earlier loss on lower expenses and a jump in sales of its Linux business software, it reported on Thursday.

It posted fiscal second-quarter net income of $5.9 million, or 2 cents a share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $2.9 million, or 1 cent a share.

Excluding items, profit from continuing operations was 6 cents a share, ahead of the Wall Street outlook of 5 cents.

Revenue rose to $236 million from $232 million. Operating expenses fell to $173 million from $180 million.

Novell is the world's second-largest seller of Linux software after Red Hat Inc .

(Reporting by Jim Finkle; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

(c) Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.