DOW JONES NEWSWIRES Novell Inc. (NOVL) trimmed its fiscal third-quarter revenue guidance, citing customer uncertainty after the company disclosed in March it would look at several alternatives to enhance shareholder value, which would likely include a sale of the company. Shares slid 2.7% to $5.85 in after-hours trading. For the quarter ended July 31, Novell forecast revenue of $197 million to $199 million, below its May view of $205 million to $210 million. It reported revenue of $216 million in the same quarter last year. Like many of its peers, Novell, which works with open source and proprietary software, is trying to control costs as revenue falls. The company on Monday said it remains focused on increasing its business and on its strategy to lead in the rapidly growing intelligent workload management market. In March, the software company essentially put itself up for sale, after rejecting an unsolicited bid by hedge fund Elliot Associates LP to buy the company for about $1.8 billion, which Novell said was too low. In May, Novell reported its fiscal second-quarter profit climbed 28% as lower operating costs more than offset a drop in revenue and margins. The company is due to report third-quarter results on Aug. 26. -By John Kell, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2480; john.kell@dowjones.com
