(By Salman - iStockAnalyst Writer)

Late on Wednesday, Akamai Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: AKAM) announced that its fourth-quarter net profit rose 13% to $40.5 million, or 22 cents a share from $35.9 million, or 20 cents a share in the corresponding quarter in 2007. On an adjusted basis, the company earned 44 cents a share, beating the consensus estimates of 40 cents a share. Revenue jumped 16% to $212.6 million, exceeding the average analyst estimates of $205.36 million. For Full fiscal year 2008, the company posted earnings of $145 million on revenue of $790 million. President and CEO Paul Sagan commented "2008 was another year of impressive growth and significant accomplishments for Akamai. As the external environment has become more challenging, we're pleased that we were able to grow revenue and earnings throughout the year while broadening our portfolio of solutions to improve Internet performance for our customers." Shares of Akamai soared 6.99% in extended trading.

BMC Software Inc. (NYSE: BMC) said that its fiscal third-quarter net income remained relatively flat at $83.8 million, or 45 cents a share, compared to $84 million, or 42 cents a share in the same quarter, a year ago. Revenue increased 6% to $488.4 million. On an adjusted basis, the company earned 64 cents a share. Analysts expected the company to earn 59 cents a share, on revenue of $487.6. The company raised its earnings guidance to a range of $2.20 and $2.30 a share. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bob Beauchamp said in a statement "The current economic environment presents an unprecedented opportunity for BMC to strengthen its competitive position, increase market share and extend its footprint with existing and new customers."  BMC shares gained 4.17% in late trading.

Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) reported fiscal second quarter net income slipped 27% to $1.5 billion, or 26 cents a share from $2.1 billion, or 33 cents a share in the comparable quarter, a year earlier. On an adjusted basis, the company earned 32 cents a share. Revenue decreased to $9.1 billion from $9.8 billion. Consensus expectations were for earnings of 30 cents a share on revenue of $9 billion. Chief Executive John Chambers said "Total year over year order growth continued to deteriorate throughout the quarter. The environment has continued to change dramatically in the last several months. We remain comfortable with our long-term vision and strategy as we move into new market adjacencies and prioritize our existing opportunities," Chambers said in a statement. "We intend to accelerate the alignment of our resources to prioritize future growth opportunities, gradually decrease our operating expenses, while building even stronger customer relationships to position Cisco for ongoing, long-term market leadership." Looking ahead, the networking giant said that it expects revenue in the third quarter to decline by 15% to 20% from the year earlier quarter. Shares of the company plummeted 4.55% in evening trade.

EOG Resources Inc. (NYSE: EOG) said that its fourth-quarter net income climbed to $461.5 million, or $1.84 a share from $358 million, or $1.44 a share, in the prior year quarter. Quarterly revenue increased to $1.63 billion from $1.28 billion.