SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian power giant Eletrobras reported late on Wednesday a first-quarter net profit of 331 million reais ($65 million), down 19% from a year earlier as it resumed investments in the transmission segment.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Eletrobras is Latin America's largest utility and has been implementing new strategies after it was privatized in June 2022, when the Brazilian government diluted its stake in the firm in a transaction worth more than $6 billion.

The company now has dispersed ownership.

KEY QUOTE

"Results in the first quarter reflected the ongoing search for cost rationalization, the focus on financial management and the resumption of investments in transmission," Eletrobras said in a statement.

BY THE NUMBERS

Eletrobras' net revenues fell 6% in the first three months of the year to 8.72 billion reais.

Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) slipped 19% to 4.5 billion reais.

($1 = 5.0904 reais)