PURCHASE, N.Y. — MasterCard Inc. today reported fourth-quarter net income of $2.38 billion.

On a per-share basis, the company said it had profit of $2.41. Earnings, adjusted for investment gains, came to $2.35 per share.

The results beat Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 14 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $2.19 per share.

The processor of debit and credit card payments posted revenue of $5.22 billion in the period, also exceeding Street forecasts. Eleven analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $5.13 billion.

For the year, the company reported profit of $8.69 billion, or $8.76 per share. Revenue was reported as $18.88 billion.