SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) _ Meta Financial Group Inc. (CASH) on Wednesday reported fiscal first-quarter net income of $61.3 million.

The Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based company said it had profit of $2 per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring gains, came to 78 cents per share.

The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 77 cents per share.

The holding company for Meta Bank posted revenue of $159.5 million in the period. Its adjusted revenue was $158.2 million, also surpassing Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $115.2 million.

Meta shares have fallen almost 5% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Wednesday, shares hit $56.85, a rise of 49% in the last 12 months.

This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CASH at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CASH

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