Novell profit slips amid uncertainty

WALTHAM — Novell Inc., a maker of networking software, said its quarterly net income fell as revenue dropped amid customer uncertainty over the company’s possible sale.

Net income in the three months to July 31 fell to $15.7 million, or 4 cents a share, from $16.7 million, or 5 cents, a year earlier. Revenue dropped 8 percent to $199 million.

Adjusted for one-time items, earnings fell to 6 cents a share, narrowly missing the 7 cents a share expected on average by analysts polled by Thomson Reuters.