LAUREL, Miss. (AP) _ Sanderson Farms Inc. (SAFM) on Thursday reported fiscal third-quarter net income of $164.8 million.

The Laurel, Mississippi-based company said it had profit of $7.38 per share.

The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $6.73 per share.

The poultry producer posted revenue of $1.35 billion in the period.

Sanderson Farms shares have climbed 46% since the beginning of the year. The stock has risen 68% in the last 12 months.

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