WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - St. Jude Medical Inc. (STJ) Wednesday said net earnings for the fourth quarter were $163 million, or $0.51 per share. This compares to reported net earnings for 2010 of $206 million or $0.62 per share. Excluding special items, adjusted net earnings for the fourth quarter were $274 million, or $0.86 per share. The company reported net sales of $1.41 billion in the fourth quarter, an increase of 4 percent over the $1.35 billion in the prior year. On average, 29 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to report earnings of $0.84 per share on revenues of $1.40 billion for the fourth-quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. Looking ahead, the company expects its consolidated adjusted net earnings for the first quarter of 2012 to be in the range of $0.82 to $0.84 per share and for full-year 2012 in the range of $3.43 to $3.48. Current Street view is for $0.85 per share for first quarter and $3.52 per share for 2012.
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