Omniture shares up 22%

Shares of Omniture Inc. on Thursday jumped more than 22 percent, the most ever, after the Orem-based software maker reported an unexpected second-quarter profit.

The shares gained $4.76 to close at $25.96 on the Nasdaq Stock Market, the biggest one-day advance since the company first sold shares in June 2006.

Omniture said late Wednesday sales jumped 78 percent to $33.5 million. Its net loss was $4.1 million.

Excluding some costs, the company reported a profit of $1.8 million, or 3 cents a share. Analysts projected a breakeven quarter on that basis, according to the average of 12 estimates in a Bloomberg survey. They predicted sales of $32.5 million.

"We've emerged as the leader in our space," Chief Executive Officer Josh James, who took the company public at $6.50 a share, said in an interview.

Omniture makes Web optimization software, which lets online retailers analyze which features on their sites are most effective at convincing consumers to buy.

Omniture software helped eBags.com boost sales by almost 25 percent by convincing the company to relocate a link directing shoppers to a "Gift Center" with holiday recommendations, James said.

"It's like having a quantitative customer feedback loop that never stops," said Jon Nordmark, CEO of eBags, based in Greenwood Village, Colo. "Omniture drives right down to the buying rates, so you can make decisions."

Several brokerage firms, including Morgan Stanley and Citigroup Inc., issued favorable reports on Omniture after the quarterly report.

"We believe the company is in the early stages of its growth opportunity, and potential revenue upside is significant," Credit Suisse analyst Jason Maynard said in a report titled, "The Making of a Gorilla."

He raised his price target for the shares to $28 from $21.