TECHNOLOGY - April 14, 1995

Microsoft Earnings Rise: The Redmond, Wash., software maker said profit for its third fiscal quarter was $396 million, an 18% jump from the year-ago figure. The profit for the period ended March 31 was 63 cents per share. For the year-earlier period, Microsoft Corp. earned $256 million, or 42 cents per share, when it incurred a $120-million charge for a legal settlement with Stac Electronics Inc. Without the special charge, Microsoft earned $336 million, or 55 cents per share, a year ago. Revenue in the latest quarter was $1.59 billion, up 28% from $1.24 billion a year ago.