The Financial Post reports in its Thursday, Dec. 5, edition that National Bank of Canada posted a higher profit for the fourth quarter, surpassing last year's figures and narrowly exceeding analyst expectations, thanks to revenue growth across all business segments. The Post's Naimul Karim writes that on an adjusted basis, the bank earned $928-million, up from $850-million a year ago, leading to earnings per share of $2.61. Analysts had anticipated earnings of $2.57 per share, according to Canaccord Genuity. For the three-month period ending on Oct. 31, the bank's net income reached $955-million, an increase from $751-million during the same period last year, resulting in net earnings per share of $2.69. The lender said the increase was due to "good performance in all of the business segments owing to revenue growth." The results were, however, affected by increases in non-interest expenses, provisions for credit losses (PCL) -- the amount of money banks keep aside to tackle potential bad loans -- and income taxes. The bank's total PCL increased to $162-million, from $115-million during the same period last year. The Montreal-based bank increased its quarterly dividend by four cents to $1.14.