NEW YORK (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Tuesday cut its profit expectations for Sun Microsystems Inc., which makes computers and software for data networking, saying economic weakness will take a toll on the company despite a strong product line.
Goldman analyst Laura Conigliaro, who made the call a day before Sun's mid-quarter business update, said Goldman now expects Sun to earn 1 cent a share in the fiscal first quarter ending in September, down from an earlier estimate of 2 cents. For the fiscal year, Conigliaro cut its forecast to 28 cents a share from 37 cents.
Conigliaro said revenues for the first quarter are now expected to be $3.7 billion, down from the earlier estimate of $3.8 billion.
The reductions come as computer makers suffer under a struggling economy, weaker demand for new technology, and a glut of older products piling up on warehouse shelves. Still, Conigliaro said Sun will ultimately benefit from what it said was the company's strong array of products.
"For now, however, we think the economic cycle probably has the upper hand," Conigliaro said.