In last year's first quarter, BancorpSouth earned $21 million, or 21 cents a share. The results, reported Wednesday after the markets closed, exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 64 cents per share. BancorpSouth posted revenue of $280.7 million in the period. Revenue net of interest expense was $260.7 million, which also topped forecasts. Five analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $254.5 million. BancorpSouth shares have climbed 8% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Wednesday, shares hit $29.64, a climb of 48% in the last 12 months. The earnings report comes a week after BancorpSouth announced a merger agreement with Cadence Bancorporation (CADE), the parent company of Cadence Bank N.A. That pairing, expected to be completed by the end of the year, will create a $44 billion bank on a pro forma basis that will be the fifth largest bank headquartered in the company's nine-state footprint.