Airgas first-quarter profit increases 4.9 percent, matches forecast

Airgas Inc. (ARG) on Thursday reported earnings that rose by 4.9 percent in its fiscal first quarter. The results matched analysts' expectations.

The Radnor, Pennsylvania-based company said profit increased to $88.9 million, or $1.18 per share, from $84.7 million, or $1.14 per share, in the same quarter a year earlier.

The company said revenue climbed 2.6 percent to $1.31 billion from $1.28 billion in the same quarter a year ago. The results matched Wall Street forecasts.

Airgas shares have decreased $1.38, or 1.2 percent, to $110.47 since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index has risen 7.5 percent. However, the stock has climbed $9.39, or 9.3 percent, in the last 12 months.

This story was generated automatically by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Full ARG report: http://www.zacks.com/ap/ARG

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Keywords:Airgas,Earnings Report