Overseas sales lift Adobe profit

Adobe Systems, the biggest maker of design software, said second-quarter profit climbed 41 per cent on sales of Creative Suite…

Adobe Systems, the biggest maker of design software, said second-quarter profit climbed 41 per cent on sales of Creative Suite 3.

The shares declined 3.1 per cent after a forecast disappointed some investors.

Adobe projected third-quarter profit of at least 45 cents a share, excluding some costs. While that met analysts' estimates, some shareholders were looking for bigger growth.

The company is counting more on Europe and Asia to sustain demand of Creative Suite 3 - programs such as Photoshop and Dreamweaver that are popular with photographers, web designers and publishers - as the US economy slows.

That shift may hurt sales this quarter as European customers go on vacation.

Adobe dropped $1.33 to $41.52 in extended trading after closing at $42.85 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

The shares are little changed this year.