UPDATE: Abercrombie & Fitch Posts Higher Q4 Profit, Issues Downbeat FY13 Forecast

Abercrombie & Fitch Co

reported a rise in its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings. Abercrombie & Fitch expects FY13 earnings of $3.35 to $3.45 per share, versus analysts' estimates of $3.63 per share. It also lifted its quarterly dividend to $0.20 from 17.5 cents per share. Abercrombie & Fitch's quarterly profit surged to $157.2 million, or $1.95 per share, from $45.8 million, or $0.52 per share, in the year-ago period. Excluding special items, it earned $2.21 per share. Its revenue rose 11% to $1.47 billion. However, analysts were expecting earnings of $1.96 per share on revenue of $1.49 billion. Its gross margin rose to 63.4% from 59.5%. Abercrombie & Fitch shares gained 3.87% to $50.95 in after-hours trading.