CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) _ Benefitfocus Inc. (BNFT) on Tuesday reported a loss of $3.8 million in its fourth quarter.

On a per-share basis, the Charleston, South Carolina-based company said it had a loss of 12 cents. Earnings, adjusted for stock option expense and amortization costs, came to 6 cents per share.

The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for a loss of 6 cents per share.

The human resources software provider posted revenue of $87.1 million in the period, which met Street forecasts.

For the year, the company reported that its loss narrowed to $45.5 million, or $1.40 per share. Revenue was reported as $295.7 million.

For the current quarter ending in April, Benefitfocus expects its results to range from a loss of 30 cents per share to a loss of 24 cents per share.

The company said it expects revenue in the range of $67.5 million to $69.5 million for the fiscal first quarter.

Benefitfocus expects full-year results to range from a loss of 69 cents per share to a loss of 54 cents per share, with revenue ranging from $310 million to $320 million.

Benefitfocus shares have fallen 48% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Tuesday, shares hit $11.42, a fall of 75% 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 BNFT at https://www.zacks.com/ap/BNFT

Automated Insights, source Associated Press News