UPDATE 1-Cigna raises 2013 profit outlook, beats earnings views
Feb 7 (Reuters) - Health insurer Cigna Corp. reported a higher-than-expected fourth-quarter profit on Thursday and raised its 2013 outlook.
The company said it now expected to earn $5.85 to $6.30 per share this year, compared with a November forecast of $5.80 to $6.25.
Cigna said fourth-quarter net income rose to $406 million, or $1.41 per share, from $273 million, or 98 cents per share, a year earlier.
Excluding items, the company reported a profit of $1.57 per share. Analysts on average had expected $1.48, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Profit was helped by favorable medical costs, revenue growth and operating cost controls.
The company reported fourth-quarter revenue of $7.62 billion, up from $5.43 billion a year earlier.
The special items included gains in businesses that Cigna has exited but remain on its books, and the costs of litigation.