Roper cuts annual profit forecast as acquisition costs bite

(Reuters) -Roper Technologies cut its annual profit forecast on Thursday, as it expects higher costs related to acquisitions in the third quarter, sending the software company's shares down 7%. The company has grown largely through acquisitions, establishing itself as a provider of software and automated solutions to a variety of sectors, including healthcare, transportation and education. Roper has more than $5 billion in capital available for merger and acquisitions over the next 12 months, it said. It now expects adjusted earnings per share between $19.90 and $19.95 for the year, compared with its earlier expectation of $19.90 to $20.05. The forecast assumed about 10 cents of adjusted EPS dilution from quarterly acquisitions. The company said it deployed $1.3 billion for acquisitions in