Volterra swings to 2Q profit, beats Street view

The Fremont, Calif.-based company, whose low-voltage chips are used to regulate power consumption in equipment like communications and networking machines, said Monday it earned $5.3 million, or 21 cents per share, in the three months ended June 30. That compares with a loss of $2.5 million, or 10 cents per share, in the year-ago period.

Excluding charges from employee stock-based compensation, Volterra earned 25 cents per share, 8 cents per share higher than the average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Financial. The Wall Street forecasts did not include stock-option expenses.

One key for the company in the quarter was that it was able to increase its sales by 55 percent, from $18.5 million last year to $28.7 million this year, while holding down its expenses. Analysts expected revenue of $27.5 million.

Volterra shares rose 3 cents to close the regular trading session at $15.21. In after-hours electronic trading, they gained 48 cents, or 3.2 percent, to $15.69.