Trimble Navigation's 3Q Profit Rises

However, the company issued a fourth-quarter guidance that disappointed investors, sending its shares down $4.05, or 9.4 percent, to $39 in aftermarket trading, after rising $2.46, or 6.1 percent, to $43.05 in the regular session.

Trimble earned $27.4 million, or 22 cents per share, compared with $25.3 million, or 22 cents per share, for the same quarter in 2006.

The recent quarter's per-share profit is based on about 125.7 million outstanding shares while the year-ago quarter's is based on about 117 million.

The 2007 quarter's results included a charge of about 5 cents per share related to amortization of intangibles and about 2 cents per share in stock-based compensation expense.

Excluding one-time charges and gains, the company posted an adjusted profit of $35.9 million, or 29 cents per share, compared with an adjusted $29.2 million, or 25 cents per share, for the same quarter of 2006.

Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected a profit of 28 cents per share, excluding one-time charges and gains.

Revenue rose 26 percent to $296 million from $234.9 million in the year-ago period. Analysts expected $299.8 million in revenue.