AMES, Iowa (AP) _ Renewable Energy Group Inc. (REGI) on Thursday reported fourth-quarter profit of $491.6 million.

On a per-share basis, the Ames, Iowa-based company said it had net income of $11.50. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring gains, were $1.21 per share.

The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 2 cents per share.

The biodiesel producer posted revenue of $1.02 billion in the period. Its adjusted revenue was $511.4 million, which also topped Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $500.8 million.

For the year, the company reported profit of $380.1 million, or $8.78 per share. Revenue was reported as $2.4 billion.

Renewable Energy Group shares have climbed roughly 1% since the beginning of the year. The stock has climbed slightly more than 1% 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 REGI at https://www.zacks.com/ap/REGI

Automated Insights, source Associated Press News