Tw Telecom’s fourth-quarter profit rises more than 12-fold to top analyst estimates

Tw Telecom’s 4Q profit soars past analyst views

LITTLETON, Colo. — Tw Telecom Inc.’s fourth-quarter profit soared past analyst forecasts as sales of its computer and data networking services rose.

The company, based in Littleton, Colo., said Monday that it earned $11.1 million, or 7 cents per share, during the final three months of last year. That compared with income of $899,000, or 1 cent per share, in the same period in 2008.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters were expecting earnings of 5 cents per share.

Revenue in the quarter rose 5 percent to $308 million, in line with analyst forecasts.

Tw Telecom ended December with about 28,000 customers, up from nearly 29,700 at the end of 2008.

The company earned $27.6 million, or 18 cents per share, for all of 2009, rebounding from a loss of $7.3 million, or 5 cents per share, in 2008. Full-year revenue totaled $472.6 million, an 18 percent increase from $399.9 million in 2008.

Tw Telecom shares were unchanged in extended trading after finishing Monday’s session at $15.52, up 47 cents, or 3.2 percent.