Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Standard Bank Group Ltd., Africa's largest lender, said its annual per-share profit rose by 22 percent to 28 percent.

Earnings-per-share before one-time items and goodwill amortization in the year ended Dec. 31 rose by between 18 percent and 22 percent, the company said in a statement to Johannesburg's Stock Exchange News Service today.

Earnings-per-share before one-time items of 9.53 rand, a 20 percent increase, were expected, according to the median estimate of 11 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Net earnings-per-share are estimated at 9.75 rand by analysts, a 19 percent increase.

To contact the reporter on this story: Antony Sguazzin in Johannesburg at asguazzin@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: February 20, 2008 01:27 EST