UPDATE 1-US BioEnergy posts Q4 loss

(Adds details)

March 17 (Reuters) - Ethanol maker US BioEnergy USBE.O posted a quarterly loss as it was hurt by a charge for losses related to its hedging activities.

It posted a net loss of $7.2 million, or 9 cents a share, compared with a net income of $21.0 million, or 35 cents a share, last year.

Results for the latest quarter included a $14.0 million charge for mark-to-market losses related to commodity hedging activities and a one-time expense of $2.8 million related to the company's pending merger with VeraSun Energy Corp VSE.N.

The year-ago quarter included a gain of $9.7 million from hedging.

Excluding items, US BioEnergy earned 12 cents a share in the latest quarter, according to Reuters data.

Revenue more than doubled to $151.9 million.

Analysts on average were expecting a loss of 1 cent a share, before special items, on revenue of $149.7 million, according to Reuters Estimates.

The company sold 73.8 million gallons of ethanol at an average selling price of $1.77 per gallon during the fourth quarter, compared with 73.2 million gallons at $1.76 per gallon during the third quarter.

Before taking hedging gains into account, corn costs for the quarter averaged $1.27 per gallon of ethanol sold, up from $1.25 per gallon of ethanol sold in the third quarter. (Reporting by Hezron Selvi in Bangalore; Editing by Himani Sarkar)