Oracle, Adobe to Post Earnings This Week

A handful of companies will report quarterly earnings this week, including Oracle Corp. and smaller software company Adobe Systems Inc.

Oracle, which stood out among the technology crowd with better-than-expected earnings in the previous quarter of 15 cents a share, is expected on Thursday to post a profit of 8 cents a share for its fiscal first quarter, according to Thomson Financial/First Call.

Analysts are looking for profit of 28 cents from Adobe when the company reports fiscal second-quarter results Thursday. The company exceeded forecasts in the previous quarter with help from the release of Adobe Acrobat 5.0.

CKE Restaurants Inc., the Anaheim-based owner of the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s hamburger chains, is expected Friday to report a loss of 29 cents a share for its fiscal second quarter. The company already has reported losses for six quarters in a row.

Analysts expect Bear Stearns Cos. to report a profit of 91 cents a share Friday for its fiscal third quarter. The securities company in the last quarter posted a 21% decline in profit but beat expectations. A strong bond market helped reduce the damage from slumping investment banking and stock trading revenue.

Executive recruiter Korn/Ferry International of Los Angeles is expected on Thursday to post a loss of 7 cents a share for its fiscal first quarter, according to Thomson Financial/First Call. The company last month warned of a loss and cut its work force by 300 jobs, or 13%.