Novell Profit Up

Novell Inc. said its profit including a tax settlement gain rose 76% in the fiscal fourth quarter to $74 million, or 21 cents a share, from $42 million, or 12 cents, a year ago. Excluding the gain, Novell earned 17 cents a share, matching the average estimate of analysts polled by First Call. The “whisper estimate,” the number Wall Street analysts share with their clients, was 18 cents a share. Revenue rose 16% to $345 million, but sales of the computer-network software maker’s server products grew slower than expected.