Of the 39 companies, 5 firms - Pentafour Communications, Visual Soft, RS Software, Infosys Technologies andInfotech Enterprises - more than doubled their gross profits. Among them highest growth of 284.1 per cent was achieved by Visual Software. The company makes web-based software to animation and entertainment media-related products. A 218.8 per cent spurt in sales helped the company achieve the highest growth in gross profit.On the otherhand, 11 companies showed a lower gross profit compared with that of the previous corresponding period. In PBT, 5 companies - Pentafour Communications, Visual Software, Triumph Intl. Fin., Infosys Technologies and Infotech Enterprises - have recorded an increase of 100 per cent or more. However, 10 companies have recorded a lower PBT.

As far as PAT is concerned, five companies have reported an increase of more than 100 per cent, with Triumph Intl. Fin. recorded an increase of more than 500 per cent. As many as 9 companies recorded lower net profits. Notable among them are GSFC (-22.9 per cent), Ircon International (-33.6 per cent) Bharat Electronics (-30.7 per cent), ZenithFibers (-45.4 per cent), Tolani Bulk Carriers (-51.2 per cent) and Solitaire Machine Tool (-42.4 per cent).Among the 39 companies, the top five in respect of net profit (PAT) as a percentage of sales during 1998-99 were VMC Software (77.83 percent), Krebs Biochem (40.11 per cent), Power Finance Corporation (38.93 per cent), Visual Soft (38.29 per cent) and Silverline Inds. (37.36 per cent). Profit after tax formed less than five per cent of sales during 1998-99 in the case of Advani Oerlikon, Adarsh Derivatives, Bharat Electronics, Zenith Fibres, Tolani Bulk Carriers, State Trading Corporation, LG Balkrishnan, Triumph Intl. Fin., Spencer & Co. and Medicorp Techno. A significant increase in the ratio during 1998-99 from the level of 1997-98 was witnessed in the case of VMC Software, Neyveli Lignite, Visual Software, Triumph Intl. Fin. and Silverline Industries. On the other hand a significant decline in the ratio was noticed in the case of Power Finance Corporation, Solitaire Machine Tool, Tolani BulkCarriers, and Gujarat Industries Power.

In the case of quarterly results, 52 companies' fourth quarter results are given in the table. The table shows that mostly software companies performed significantly better in the last quarter (Jan to Mar'99) from the level of previous years last quarter (Jan-Mar '98). Highest growth in PAT was achieved in the case of Visual Soft (622.6 per cent), followed by Pentafour Communication (409.0 per cent) and Satyam Computer (363.7 per cent). The net profit of Visual Software was Rs 4.48 crore (0.62 crore for the quarter ended 31.3.99. This was probably due to the significant increase in sales by 307.1 per cent to Rs 10.83 or during the fourth quarter of 1998-99 from the level of Rs.2.66 crore during the 4th quarter of 1997-98. Among others, noticeable growth in sales was achieved in the case of Triumph Intl. Fin. (387.6 per cent), Pentafour Communication (113.0 per cent), Infosys Technologies (93.2 per cent) and Infotech Enterprises (92.8 per cent) during the same period.More than 30 per cent ratio (PAT to sales) was observed during the fourth quarter in the case of VMC Software (64.17 per cent); Neyveli Lignite Corp (47.79 per cent), Gujarat Fun `N' Water Park (46.84 per cent), Visual Soft (41.37 per cent) and Silverline Industries (31.06%). A significant increase in the ratio during the last quarter of 1998-99 was observed in the case of Visual Soft, Neyveli Lignite, Global Tele System.