Shares of video chip maker Trident Microsystems (TRID) are down 8 cents, or 8.4%, at 86 cents in late trading after the company beat Q1 estimates, but forecast the current quarter’s revenue below expectations.

Q1 revenue fell 2% to $88.3 million, beating the average $80 million estimate. The net loss of 13 cents per share in the quarter, excluding some costs, was better than the 16-cent loss expected.

For the current quarter, the company projects revenue to fall to a range of $70 million to $75 million, versus analysts’ average expectation for a quarter-over-quarter increase to $85 million. A projected net income loss of $21 million to $24 million is worse than the $20 million analysts have been modeling.

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Shares of Linux distributor Red Hat (RHT) are up $4.12, or 10%, at $44.09 in late trading after the company this afternoon reported fiscal Q4 revenue and earnings that topped analysts’ estimates.

Revenue in the three months ended February 28th rose 25%, year over year, to $245 million, yielding EPS of 26 cents. Analysts had been modeling revenue of $236 million and EPS of 22 cents.

CEO Jim Whitehurst said the company is on track to make $1 billion in revenue next fiscal year. The Street is currently estimating $1.03 billion in revenue for fiscal 2012.

CFO Charlie Peters said Red Hat’s billings rose at a rate of more than 30% in the quarter, the fastest rate in three years.

Red Hat ended the quarter with $1.2 billion in cash after repurchasing $11 million shares of stock, it said.

Management’s conference call with analysts gets underway at 5 pm and can be listened to here.

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Solar energy technology maker First Solar (FSLR) said this afternoon that it has appointed manufacturing veteran and former NCR (NCR) executive Mark Widmar as chief financial officer.

Widmar replaces interim CFO James Zhu, First Solar’s chief accounting officer. Zhu took over when former CFO Jens Meyerhoff moved from the CFO role to running First Solar’s utility business last December. Widmar comes from Graftech International, a maker of advanced carbon and graphite materials, First Solar said.

FSLR shares are down 15 cents in late trading, at $158.76.

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Shares of chip maker Nvidia (NVDA) are down 47 cents, or almost 3%, at $17.19 in late trading after the company said its chief financial officer, David White, has resigned for personal reasons, effective May 31st.

Karen Burns, currently corporate controller, will replace White. Burns was head of Nvidia’s tax department for a decade, the company noted.

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Shares of Texas Instruments (TXN) are down by 26 cents, or 0.7%, at $35.60 in late trading after the company narrowed a Q1 forecast offered on January 24th, meeting analysts’ average estimate for revenue but falling slightly below on the profit line.

The company now sees revenue in a range of $3.34 billion to $3.48 billion for the three months ending in March, versus a prior range of $3.27 billion to $3.57 billion. At the midpoint of $3.41 billion, that’s in line with consensus.

The company sees profit in a range of 56 cents to 60 cents, which, at the midpoint of 58 cents, is a penny shy of the 59-cent consensus.

TI will hold a conference call with analysts at 5 pm, Eastern, to discuss the results, which you can catch here.

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Shares of AT&T (T) are down 2 cents at $27.90 in late trading after the company said its chief financial officer, Rick Lindner, will retire on June 1st, 2011, and will be replaced by John Stephens, who has been with the company for 19 years.

Lindner, who became CFO in 2004, came over from Cingular Wireless, a joint venture of AT&T and Bellsouth, and had started his career at SBC. AT&T management said Lindner had worked closely with Stephens for 15 years. Stephens has served as controller for AT&T for the last decade.

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Shares of payment processing technology vendor Verifone (PAY) are up $1.39, or 3%, in late trading at $46 after the company reported fiscal Q1 results ahead of expectations, and raised its forecast for the year above estimates.

Revenue in the three months ending in January rose 27%, year over year, the company said, to $284 million, beating the average $270 million. EPS of 43 cents, excluding some costs, was 4 cents better than expected.

For the full year, the company projected revenue of $1.15 billion to $1.16 billion, up from a prior estimate of $1.13 billion to $1.15 billion offered back in early December. EPS is seen in a range of $1.75 to $1.80, up from a prior view of $1.60 to $1.70.

The Street has been modeling $1.14 billion and $1.70.

For the current quarter, the company sees revenue of $280 million to $284 million, and EPS of 42 cents to 43 cents. The Street has been modeling $276 million in revenue and 40 cents EPS.

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Shares of Brocade Communications Systems (BRCD) are up 32 cents, or 5%, at $6.33 in late trading, after the company reported fiscal Q1 results slightly ahead of estimates, but forecast the current quarter’s revenue comfortably ahead of expectations.
Q1 revenue rose 1%, year over year, to $546 million, beating the average [...]

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Shares of microcontroller vendor Atmel (ATML) are up 59 cents, or 4%, at $15.25 in late trading after the company comfortably beat Q4 revenue and earnings expectations, forecast Q1 revenue above estimates, and raised its target for long-term profitability.
Q4 revenue was up 33%, year over year, at $457.8 million, beating [...]

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Video game maker Take-Two Interactive (TTWO), makers of the “Grand Theft Auto” and “Red Dead” series, this afternoon reported Q3 revenue and earnings comfortably ahead of estimates, and raised its Q4 earnings view above consensus estimates.
The shares have been halted in late trading and are expected to resume at 4:30 [...]

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