Sybase Expects Greater 4th-Quarter Loss

Sybase Inc. said it expects to report a wider-than-expected fourth-quarter loss. It will also restate revenue for the first three quarters of 1997 because it learned some sales were improperly recognized. The Emeryville-based database software maker discovered its Japanese subsidiary had improperly recognized revenue from several transactions, forcing it to postpone the release of its quarterly and full-year results for another week. It was to have reported results Wednesday after the stock market closed. Sybase, which makes software for managing huge libraries of information, warned earlier this month that it may lose money or report only a slight profit because of weak sales in North America. Next Wednesday, it expects to report final results for the quarter ended Dec. 31 and for the year. Sybase shares last traded at $9.81 before trading was halted on Nasdaq.