3Com Loss Narrows as It Pares Expenses

3Com Corp., the world’s fourth-largest maker of computer networking equipment, said its fiscal third-quarter loss narrowed to $236.1 million as expenses fell. The loss narrowed to 67 cents a share, from $246 million, or 72 cents, a year earlier. Revenue in the period ended March 1 dropped 43% to $356 million.

3Com has lost most of its market share in the last four years as it shed businesses and as rivals such as Cisco Systems Inc. took away sales. Operating expenses at the Santa Clara, Calif., firm fell 30% to $307.3 million from a year earlier.

3Com shares rose 21 cents to $5.44 in regular trading on Nasdaq and climbed as high as $5.93 in after-hours trading following the report.