Out of the Gate: Sonus climbs after swinging to 1Q profit

The stock gained 21 cents, or 5.4 percent, to $4.10.

Late Thursday, the Westford, Mass., company posted a first-quarter profit of $566,000, or break-even on a per-share basis, compared with a loss of $4 million, or 2 cents per share, in the same quarter last year.

Excluding one-time charges, the company said it earned $5.2 million, or 2 cents per share. It said revenue climbed 4 percent to $74 million from $71.1 million a year ago.

The results beat estimates, with analysts polled by Thomson Financial expecting a loss of a penny per share. Such estimates typically exclude one-time items.

Merriman Curhan Ford analyst Tim Savageaux upgraded Sonus to "Buy" from "Neutral" in a note to investors Friday, saying it stands to benefit from growing network spending in Japan, where its presence is already strong.

In addition, Savageaux touted the company's debt-free balance sheet and gross margin. He predicted shares will trade between $5 and $6.

Sonus stock has traded between $2.92 and $9.03 in the past 52 weeks.