* EPS ex-items $0.15 (In U.S. dollars unless noted)
TORONTO, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Iamgold Corp (IMG.TO: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said second-quarter net income rose 33 percent, helped by a higher average realized gold price and lower average cash costs.
Net earnings were $44.1 million, or 12 cents a share, compared with $33.2 million, or 11 cents a share, in the year-earlier period, the Canadian gold miner said on Thursday.
Excluding items, it earned $53.4 million, or 15 cents a share, up from a year-ago profit of $33.2 million, or 11 cents a share.
Analysts polled by Reuters had expected, on average, a profit of 10 cents a share before exceptional items.
Revenue was little changed at $225.3 million, compared with $225.1 million a year earlier.
Gold production was 249,000 ounces at an average cash cost of $437 per ounce, compared with production of 255,000 ounces at an average cash cost of $472 per ounce in the second quarter of 2008
The average realized gold price in the quarter was $898 per ounce, compared with $878 a year earlier. (Reporting by Euan Rocha; editing by John Wallace)
