Abbott results beat on strong medical device business

(Reuters) - Abbott Laboratories' fourth-quarter results topped analysts' estimates on Wednesday, boosted by strong sales in its medical devices and generics businesses.

Shares of the diversified healthcare company, which also forecast better-than-expected full-year adjusted earnings, jumped 1.8 percent to $60.30 before the bell.

The company posted a net loss of $828 million, or 48 cents per share, mainly related to a $1.46 billion charge due to the recent U.S. tax overhaul.

Excluding items, Abbott reported a profit of 74 cents per share.

Analysts on average were expecting a profit of 73 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Profit from Abbott's medical device business - it's largest division - continued to benefit from its $25 billion purchase of St. Jude Medical. Sales for the unit rose 9.6 percent on an operational basis to $2.74 billion in the quarter ending Dec. 31.

Net sales rose 42.3 percent to $7.59 billion ahead of analysts' estimate of $7.39 billion.

The company forecast full-year adjusted profit of $2.80 to $2.90 per share.

Analysts were expecting a profit of $2.49 per share.

(Reporting by Divya Grover in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Supriya Kurane)