Robert Half International Inc. (NYSE:RHI) reported its results for the fourth quarter. Net income for the staffing and outsourcing services company rose to $42.6 million (30 cents per share) vs. $24.8 million (17 cents per share) in the same quarter a year earlier. This marks a rise of 71.9% from the year earlier quarter. Revenue rose 14.3% to $973.5 million from the year earlier quarter. RHI fell short of the mean analyst estimate of 31 cents per share. Analysts were expecting revenue of $986.5 million.

“Our specialized staffing divisions and Protiviti reported solid results in the fourth quarter. This marks the sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit, year-over-year revenue growth for the company,” said Harold M. Messmer, Jr., chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. “Additionally, growth rates in net income and earnings per share have significantly exceeded revenue growth rates during this period. This reflects the ongoing strong demand for skilled talent, particularly in the technology and accounting sectors.”

Competitors to Watch: Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:KELYA), ManpowerGroup (NYSE:MAN), Kforce Inc. (NASDAQ:KFRC), SFN Group Inc (NYSE:SFN), Barrett Business Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:BBSI), Volt Information Sciences, Inc. (NYSE:VOL), TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE:TBI), and CDI Corp. (NYSE:CDI).

Emulex Corporation (NYSE:ELX) climbed to a profit in the second quarter and beat Wall Street’s expectations in the process. Reported a profit of $15 million (17 cents per diluted share) in the quarter. The computer peripherals company had a net loss of $41 million or a loss of 47 cents per share in the year earlier quarter. Revenue rose 12.9% to $128.7 million from the year earlier quarter. ELX reported adjusted net income of 26 cents per share. By that measure, the company beat the mean estimate of 13 cents per share. Analysts were expecting revenue of $126.5 million.

CEO Jim McCluney commented, “Our focus on operational excellence is reflected in our results as we once again exceeded the high-end of our revenues and earnings guidance. December was our fourth consecutive quarter of double digit year-over-year revenue growth, as we continued to drive market share gains in our core business.”

Competitors to Watch: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRCD), QLogic Corporation (NASDAQ:QLGC), LSI Corporation (NYSE:LSI), Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ), EMC Corporation (NYSE:EMC), Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL), Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL), Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO), and Intl. Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM).

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