* Silver production up 24 pct to 5.8 mln ounces (In U.S. dollars, unless noted)
Aug 11 (Reuters) - Pan American Silver (PAA.TO) said on Tuesday its second-quarter profit fell 52 percent as it was hurt lower silver prices in the quarter.
The Canadian company, which operates mines in Mexico, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina, earned $10.2 million, or 12 cents per basic share, in the quarter ended June 30. That was down from a profit of $21.4 million, or 26 cents per basic share, in the year-before period.
Excluding a $3.3 million non-cash, after tax charge for the write down of a smelter receivable, the company earned 16 cents per share.
Analysts polled by Reuters had expected, on average, a profit of 19 cents a share, before exceptional items.
Quarterly sales rose 7 percent to $111.4 million, with silver sales accounting for 58 percent of total revenues, the company said. Silver production increased 24 percent to 5.8 million ounces while cash costs for the quarter were $5.99 per ounce, compared with $5.28 in the year-ago quarter.
Average London silver fix prices XAGFIX= in the quarter were $13.76 per ounce, down 20 percent from a year ago, the company said. (Reporting by Ajay Kamalakaran in Bangalore; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
