Cigna Corp. Q1 Earnings Climb 20%

(RTTNews) - Cigna Corp. (CI) released a profit for its first quarter that climbed compared to the same period last year.

The company said its bottom line rose to $719 million, or $2.77 per share. This was up from $601 million, or $2.32 per share, in last year's first quarter.

Analysts had expected the company to earn $2.45 per share, according figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

The company said revenue for the quarter rose 5.2% to $10.39 billion. This was up from $9.88 billion last year.

Cigna Corp. earnings at a glance:

-Earnings (Q1): $719 Mln. vs. $601 Mln. last year. -Earnings Growth (Y-o-Y): 19.6% -EPS (Q1): $2.77 vs. $2.32 last year. -EPS Growth (Y-o-Y): 19.4% -Analysts Estimate: $2.45 -Revenue (Q1): $10.39 Bln vs. $9.88 Bln last year. -Revenue Change (Y-o-Y): 5.2%

-Guidance: Full year EPS guidance: $9.25 - $9.75