UPDATE 1-RF Micro Devices Q4 loss wider than expected
* Q4 adj loss/shr $0.10 vs est. -$0.05
* Q4 rev down about 22 pct
* Sees sequential rev growth and margin expansion for Q1
April 28 (Reuters) - Chipmaker RF Micro Devices Inc (RFMD.O) reported a wider-than-expected fourth-quarter loss, amid an overall weakness in demand in the chip sector, but it forecast a sequential revenue growth for the first quarter.
The company said it also expects "significant" gross margin expansion in the first quarter, with factory utilization rates approaching normalized levels, and sees about breakeven operating profitability, excluding items, for the period.
For the fourth quarter ended March 28, RF Micro reported a net loss of $49.4 million, or 19 cents a share, compared with a loss of $17.2 million, or 6 cents a share, in the year-ago period.
Before items, it posted a loss of 10 cents a share. Revenue fell about 22 percent to $172.3 million.
Analysts on average were expecting a loss of 5 cents a share, before items, on revenue of $167.6 million, according to Reuters Estimates.
Shares of the company were trading at $2.62 after the bell. They closed at $2.65 Tuesday on Nasdaq. (Reporting by Bijoy Koyitty in Bangalore; Editing by Deepak Kannan)
