OAK RIDGE, N.J. (AP) _ Lakeland Bancorp Inc. (LBAI) on Friday reported fourth-quarter earnings of $18.7 million.

The bank, based in Oak Ridge, New Jersey, said it had earnings of 37 cents per share.

The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 35 cents per share.

The bank holding company posted revenue of $71.8 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $57.5 million, which also beat Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $55.6 million.

For the year, the company reported profit of $70.7 million, or $1.38 per share. Revenue was reported as $222.8 million.

Lakeland Bancorp shares have decreased almost 4% since the beginning of the year. The stock has risen 4% 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 LBAI at https://www.zacks.com/ap/LBAI

Automated Insights, source Associated Press News