Oracle Corp.'s third-quarter profit matched Wall Street's expectations, but a sales miss sent shares of the business software maker tumbling after hours on fears the company is being pinched by falling technology spending.The Redwood Shores-based company said after the market closed Wednesday that it earned $1.34 billion, or 26 cents per share, in the three months ended Feb. 29. That represents a 30 percent jump from the same period last year, when Oracle's net income was $1.03 billion, or 20 cents per share. Stripping out one-time expenses, Oracle earned 30 cents per share, meeting the average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Financial.

Sales were higher than a year earlier but lower than expected, and shares fell $1.64, almost 8 percent, to $19.30 in after-hours trading. They had fallen 14 cents during regular trading Wednesday to close at $20.94 before the financial results were reported.

Investors were looking for signs that Oracle, which makes database software for businesses and has been on a multibillion-dollar buying binge to boost its offerings, has been hurt by a weakening U.S. economy that has caused some companies to pull back on technology spending.

Oracle pulled in $5.35 billion in revenue during the third quarter, a 21 percent jump over the year-ago period but far short of analysts' forecast for $5.42 billion in sales.

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