Netia Q2 loss smaller than seen, ups core guidance

WARSAW, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Poland's No.2 phone operator Netia NTIA.WA swung to a smaller-than-expected second-quarter net loss of 8.3 million zlotys ($3 million) on lower-than-forecast costs, and pushed up its core profit guidance.

The group raised its guidance for earnings before interest, depreciation, taxes and amortisation (EBITDA) for 2009 by 10 million zlotys to 275 million, but also trimmed its full-year sales forecast to 1.5 billion zlotys.

"We uphold our course for posting net and operating profits in the coming quarters, with a very real perspective for attaining full-year net profit in 2010 and a wide stream of free cash flow," Chief Executive Miroslaw Godlewski said in a statement.

Analysts polled by Reuters expected the group to be 17 million zlotys in the red in the second quarter compared to a 6.4 million loss in the first three months of the year.

A year earlier, Netia had a net profit of 315 million zlotys, as it booked a one-off gain from the sale of its stake in mobile operator P4.

Netia's sales rose by more than a half year-on-year in the second quarter to 374 million zlotys and EBITDA stood at 69 million.

The stock has gained 72 percent this year, double the gains of Warsaw's midcap index .MWIG40.

(Reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko, writing by Adrian Krajewski; editing by John Stonestreet)