Olin says 4th quarter earnings fell

NEW YORK, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The Olin Corp. (OLN.N), a maker of metals and chemicals, posted lower quarterly net income on Monday, but it was higher than analyst forecasts.

Olin Corp said net income in the fourth quarter was $26.8 million, or 37 cents a diluted share, compared with net income of $32.6 million, or 45 cents a diluted share, a year earlier.

Analysts were expecting net income of 26 cents a share in the quarter. The company had previously forecast it would generate 25 cents in the fourth quarter.

Olin said first-quarter 2007 earnings are expected to be about 25 cents.