=Nuance Communications (NUAN) reported earnings on Thur 11/17/16 (a/h)

BURLINGTON, Mass. (AP) _ Nuance Communications Inc. (NUAN) on Thursday reported fiscal fourth-quarter net income of $18.5 million, after reporting a loss in the same period a year earlier.

On a per-share basis, the Burlington, Massachusetts-based company said it had profit of 6 cents. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were 41 cents per share.

The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 39 cents per share.

The voice and language technology company posted revenue of $512.4 million in the period, also beating Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $504.7 million.

For the year, the company reported that its loss narrowed to $12.5 million, or 4 cents per share. Revenue was reported as $1.98 billion.

Nuance Communications shares have dropped 22 percent since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Thursday, shares hit $15.55, a fall of 23 percent in the last 12 months.