SAO PAULO, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Brazilian payments firm

PagBank posted on Thursday a 21% increase in its

fourth-quarter net profit from a year earlier to 631 million

reais, above the 571.5 million reais profit expected by analysts

polled by LSEG.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

PagBank, which also operates a digital bank, was the

first Brazilian company listed on the New York Stock Exchange to

also have Brazilian Depositary Receipts traded on the local

financial exchange.

BY THE NUMBERS

The company posted an 18% increase in its net revenue to

5.1 billion reais in the quarter ended in December from a year

earlier.

Its total payments volume (TPV) increased by 28% in the

fourth quarter from a year earlier, reaching 146 billion reais.

In the full year, PagBank saw its credit portfolio grow

by 46% year-on-year.

WHAT'S NEXT

PagBank expects to continue its business expansion in

2025 and projects investment of between 2.2 and 2.4 billion

reais for the year.

The company sees a 7% to 11% growth in gross profit, and

an increase of 11% to 15% in earnings per share in 2025.

KEY QUOTES

"We remain focused on maximizing returns for our

investors, combining solid growth with disciplined financial

management," Chief Financial Officer Artur Schunck said in a

press release, which also mentioned an expansion in operational

leverage for the quarter and a 784-million-real share buyback

program in 2024.