Southern Copper 2nd-qtr profit down to $548.5 mln

LIMA, July 24 (Reuters) - Southern Copper (PCU.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Thursday it recorded net profit of $548.5 million in the second quarter, down from $726 million in the same quarter a year earlier.

The company, one of the world's largest producers of copper, said higher costs and lower sales stemming from a labor strike hurt its bottom line. (Reporting by Maria Luisa Palomino and Terry Wade; Editing by Gary Hill)