RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Apple Hospitality REIT Inc. (APLE) on Thursday reported a key measure of profitability in its fourth quarter. The results met Wall Street expectations.

The Richmond, Virginia-based real estate investment trust said it had funds from operations of $72.4 million, or 31 cents per share, in the period.

The average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for funds from operations of 31 cents per share.

Funds from operations is a closely watched measure in the REIT industry. It takes net income and adds back items such as depreciation and amortization.

The company said it had net income of $20.8 million, or 9 cents per share.

The hotel-owning real estate investment trust posted revenue of $312.5 million in the period, which topped Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $304.2 million.

For the year, the company reported funds from operations of $366.9 million, or $1.60 per share. Revenue was reported as $1.34 billion.

The company's shares have dropped 2% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Thursday, shares hit $16.27, a decline of 2% in the last 12 months.

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