Autodesk Turnaround

Autodesk Inc., a maker of design software for engineers and architects, reported a better-than-expected profit for its fiscal first quarter as sales increased 19% to $223.3 million. Net income including one-time items was $25.6 million, or 41 cents a share, contrasted with a net loss of $17.1 million, or 29 cents, a year ago. Excluding the special items, Autodesk earned 48 cents a share, 2 cents higher than the average estimate of analysts polled by First Call/Thomson Financial. San Rafael, Calif.-based Autodesk has benefited from renewed demand for AutoCAD software, its flagship product.