ZURICH, Feb 4 (Reuters) - UBS Group,

Switzerland's largest bank, on Tuesday posted net profit of $770

million for the fourth quarter of 2024, trouncing forecasts.

The net profit attributable to shareholders compared with an

average estimate of $483 million in a company-provided poll of

analysts.

The lender also announced a share buyback program of up to

$3 billion for this year, higher than the $2.2 billion analysts

at Vontobel expected.

UBS said it planned to repurchase $1 billion of shares in

the first half of 2025 and up to $2 billion in the second half

while maintaining its target common equity tier 1 capital (CET1)

ratio of around 14%.

The bank also specified that the share repurchase amounts

were subject to "the absence of material and immediate changes

to the current capital regime in Switzerland."