Company Town

Market trends: Broderbund Software Inc., the largest independent educational software publisher, announced a fourth-quarter profit of $4.5 million on sales of $27.9 million, compared to a year-ago profit of $2.9 million on sales of $22.2 million. The Novato, Calif.-based company also declared a 2-for-1 split of its common stock, payable Nov. 21 to shareholders of record as of Oct. 25.