SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) _ Meta Financial Group Inc. (CASH) on Wednesday reported fiscal third-quarter profit of $18.2 million.

On a per-share basis, the Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based company said it had net income of 53 cents.

The results beat Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 19 cents per share.

The holding company for Meta Bank posted revenue of $108.5 million in the period. Its adjusted revenue was $103.2 million, which missed Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $105.4 million.

Meta shares have declined 49% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Wednesday, shares hit $18.51, a decrease of 30% in the last 12 months.

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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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