Nuance Communications Q4 Profit Tops Expectations, Shares Surge

Shares of Nuance Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) jumped over 9 percent in after-hours trading after the company reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its fiscal fourth quarter on Monday.

The Burlington, Massachusetts-based company reported a quarterly loss of $11 million, or $0.04 per share, versus a year-ago loss of 1.5 million, or $0.00 per share. Excluding items, the company's adjusted earnings came in at $0.41 per share.

Its GAAP revenue climbed to $504.1 million from $502.3 million, while non-GAAP revenue slipped to $513.3 million from $520.3 million. However, analysts were expecting a profit of $0.35 per share on revenue of $507.84 million.

Its net new bookings rose 8.7 percent year-over-year to $357.4 million in the latest quarter.

Its non-GAAP operating margin expanded to 30.2 percent from 25.9 percent.

"Nuance delivered a strong finish to its fiscal year, reporting revenue, EPS, cash flow from operations, margins and net new bookings that all exceeded our expectations," said Dan Tempesta, Nuance's CFO. "We made substantial progress on our company-wide transformation project, and continued to prioritize resources and focus toward our most significant market opportunities. We expect to continue our improvements in financial performance and lead the company to improved growth in 2016 and beyond."

Nuance Communications shares surged 9.09 percent to $18.60 in the after-hours trading session.