Northeast Utilities 4th-qtr profit falls

NEW YORK, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Power producer Northeast Utilities (NU.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Wednesday its quarterly profit fell, as earnings in the year-ago quarter were boosted by a large gain from the sale of its competitive generation business.

Northeast reported a fourth-quarter profit of $72.7 million, or 47 cents a share, compared with $347 million, or $2.24 a share, in the year ago period. (Reporting by Paritosh Bansal; Editing by Gary Hill)