UPDATE 1-ComScore gives Q1 outlook below mkt view; shares fall
(Recasts, adds details, share movement)
Feb 7 (Reuters) - ComScore Inc (SCOR.O: Quote, Profile, Research), a maker of digital marketing products, posted fourth-quarter profit meeting Wall Street view but forecast lower-than-expected profit for the first quarter and 2008, sending shares down more than 11 percent in after-hours trade.
ComScore said it expects first-quarter earnings of 10 cents to 11 cents a share, excluding special items. This was well below analysts' average estimate of 18 cents a share. For 2008, ComScore forecast a profit of 55 cents to 58 cents per share, before special items, which was significantly lower than the market view of 82 cents a share. The Reston, Virginia-based company expects about $1 million in incremental public company-related expenses for the first and second quarters of 2008.
The company, which went public in June last year, reported a quarterly profit of 21 cents a share, before items, on revenue of $25.3 million. Analysts on average were looking for earnings of 18 cents per share, excluding special items, on revenue of $25.6 million, according to Reuters Estimates.
Shares of the company were down $3.45 at $24.0 in after-hours trade, after closing at $27.45 on the Nasdaq. (Reporting by Esha Dey in Bangalore; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)
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