HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) _ Premier Financial Bancorp Inc. (PFBI) on Friday reported first-quarter profit of $6.6 million.

The bank, based in Huntington, West Virginia, said it had earnings of 44 cents per share.

The multi-bank holding company posted revenue of $20.1 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $19.3 million, surpassing Street forecasts.

Premier Financial shares have increased 44% since the beginning of the year. The stock has increased 39% 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 PFBI at https://www.zacks.com/ap/PFBI

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