UPDATE 1-Gentiva Q1 profit beats Street, backs FY view

* Q1 adj EPS $0.43 beats Street by 1 cent

* Q1 rev falls 10 pct to $288.9 mln

* Home health segment boosts results

* Backs fiscal 2009 outlook

April 30 (Reuters) - Home-healthcare provider Gentiva Health Services Inc (GTIV.O) posted a quarterly profit that beat market expectations by one cent, helped by higher revenue from its home health segment.

For the first quarter, the company posted net income of $18.0 million, or 60 cents a share, compared with $7.7 million, or 27 cents a share, from a year ago period.

Excluding items the company earned 43 cents a share. Revenue fell 10 percent to $288.9 million.

Analysts on average for the first quarter expected earnings of 42 cents a share, excluding special items, on revenue of $283.9 million, according to Reuters Estimates.

For the first quarter revenue from home health segment rose 19 percent to $257.7 million.

The company reiterated its 2009 earnings outlook of $1.72 to $1.80 a share, on revenue of $1.14 billion to $1.18 billion.

Analysts on average were expecting earnings of $1.78 a share, before special items, on revenue of $1.17 billion.

Shares of the company closed at $17.88 Wednesday on Nasdaq.

For the alerts, double-click [ID:nWNAB0951] (Reporting by Anand Basu in Bangalore; Editing by Savio D'Souza)