SAP announces solid Q4 earnings plus upbeat 2003 outlook

SAP AG - the German maker of business-management software, posted higher fourth-quarter earnings Thursday and gave an upbeat outlook for 2003 despite market uncertainties.

EARNINGS - Net profit for the quarter ending Dec 31 was €474m, up from €319m a year earlier, SAP said Revenue slipped to €2.28bn from €2.32bn a year ago. Full-year earnings were €509m, down from €581m in 2001.