May 20--Intuit said today that its sales increased 9 percent in its last quarter, a period that includes the crucial weeks leading up to the April 15 tax deadline, when the maker of TurboTax and other software reports the biggest part of its consumer sales.

The company reported a profit of $485 million, also up 9 percent from a year ago, on revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter that ended April 30. It said earnings amounted to $1.47 per share, or $1.68 per share excluding one-time charges.

The results beat the expectations of analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters, who predicted earnings of 1.61 per share, excluding one-time charges, on revenue of $1.42 billion. The company's own forecast, issued three months ago, called for earnings between $1.57 and $1.68 per share, excluding one-time charges, on revenue in the range of $1.38 billion to $1.46 billion.

Nearly a third of Intuit's annual revenue comes from consumer tax products. While it's the leading seller of tax preparation software, the Mountain View company has faced pressure from the recession and competitors such as tax-preparer H&R Block, which also sells tax software to consumers.

Intuit had previously lowered its revenue forecast for the full fiscal year, and narrowed the range of its forecast again today, calling for 2009 revenue to grow by 3 percent to 4 percent. It previously forecasted growth in the range of 2 percent to 6 percent, down from an initial forecast of 9 percent

to 12 percent, over the $3.1 billion in annual revenue reported for 2008.

Along with its tax preparation and personal finance software, sold under the TurboTax and Quicken brands, Intuit makes QuickBooks accounting software for small businesses and other products for accountants. In recent years it also has been expanding its offerings to include software for banks and health-care providers.

Contact Brandon Bailey at bbailey@mercurynews.com or 408-920-5022.

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