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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549

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FORM 8-K

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CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): December 19, 2011

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Red Hat, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Delaware
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)

(919) 754-3700
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Not Applicable
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

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Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

⃞ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

⃞ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

⃞ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

⃞ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

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On December 19, 2011, Red Hat, Inc. announced its financial results for the fiscal quarter ended November 30, 2011. The full text of the press release issued in connection with the announcement is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

We disclosed non-GAAP financial information in the press release for the three months and nine months ended November 30, 2011 and November 30, 2010. These non-GAAP disclosures include a reconciliation of GAAP net income to non-GAAP adjusted net income based on:

These non-GAAP disclosures should not be used as a substitute for our GAAP results, but rather read in conjunction with our GAAP results. The non-GAAP financial measures we disclosed and the methods we used to calculate non-GAAP results are not in accordance with GAAP and may be materially different from the non-GAAP measures and methods used by other companies.

Our reconciliation of GAAP net income to non-GAAP adjusted net income includes GAAP non-cash, share-based compensation expense of $20.8 million and $55.7 million for the three months and nine months ended November 30, 2011, and $15.3 million and $44.2 million for the three months and nine months ended November 30, 2010, respectively, versus the non-GAAP exclusion of such expense.

We excluded GAAP share-based compensation expense for the purpose of calculating non-GAAP adjusted net income and non-GAAP adjusted net income per share because it is a non-cash expense and management believes that by excluding such expense we provide an alternative and useful measure of operating performance.  Management also believes that non-GAAP measures of profitability that exclude share-based compensation expense are used by a number of financial analysts in the software industry to compare current performance to prior periods and to forecast future performance.

Amortization expense related to intangible assets results primarily from business combinations.  These costs are fixed in connection with an acquisition, are then amortized over a number of years after the acquisition and generally cannot be changed or influenced by management after the acquisition.  Accordingly, management generally does not consider such costs for the purpose of evaluating the performance of the business or its managers or when making decisions to allocate resources.  Management also believes that non-GAAP measures of profitability that exclude amortization expense related to intangible assets are used by a number of  financial analysts in the software industry to compare current performance to prior periods and to forecast future performance.  Our reconciliation of GAAP net income to non-GAAP adjusted net income includes GAAP non-cash amortization expense of $4.5 million and $14.6 million for the three months and nine months ended November 30, 2011, and $4.7 million and $13.8 million for the three months and nine months ended November 30, 2010, respectively, versus the non-GAAP exclusion of such expense.

Management believes that these adjusted non-GAAP results, when read in conjunction with the GAAP results, offer a useful view of our business performance in that they provide a more consistent means of comparing performance to prior periods in light of the potential variability in valuing share-based awards and the irregularity with which management acquires intangible assets. Management also uses non-GAAP measures as a component of its regular internal reporting to evaluate performance of the business and compare it to prior performance, to make operating decisions, including internal budgeting and the calculation of incentive compensation, and to forecast future performance. Our disclosure of non-GAAP financial measures allows investors to evaluate our performance using information used by management.

The information furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 of this Form 8-K, including Exhibit 99.1 referenced herein, shall not be deemed "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

EXHIBIT INDEX