SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) _ Meta Financial Group Inc. (CASH) on Wednesday reported fiscal third-quarter net income of $38 million.

On a per-share basis, the Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based company said it had profit of $1.21.

The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 89 cents per share.

The holding company for Meta Bank posted revenue of $132.4 million in the period. Its adjusted revenue was $130.9 million, also surpassing Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $118.3 million.

Meta shares have climbed 35% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Wednesday, shares hit $49.18, more than doubling 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 CASH at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CASH

Copyright by Automated Insights, Inc. All rights reserved., source Associated Press News