Netscape Earnings Increase 55 Percent

Netscape Communications Corp., buoyed by growing sales of its software for corporate computer networks, on Wednesday reported a 55 percent gain in first-quarter profit.

Netscape earned $7.9 million, or 9 cents a share, for the three months ending March 31, compared with $3.6 million, or 4 cents a share, a year ago. Revenues more than doubled to $120.2 million from $56.1 million.

The results were slightly ahead of the average 8 cents a share profit analysts surveyed by IBES International Inc. expected.