STOCKS NEWS EUROPE-K+S seen lower as Q3 misses forecast

Shares in K+S (SDFG.DE) are indicated 4.9 percent lower, making them the biggest decliners among German largecaps .GDAXI, after the fertiliser and salts company reports third-quarter operating porfits that largely missed expectations.

Third-quarter operating profit, excluding currency hedging instruments, slumped to 9.4 million euros ($14.1 million) from 502 million a year earlier, well below the average estimate of 18 million in a Reuters poll of 12 analysts. [ID:nLB173096]

"The numbers were a clear negative," says a Frankfurt-based analyst.

A second local trader says: "A lot of ifs and whens for 2010 K+S share was under pressure yesterday after negative UBS call. There is no need to rush into stock after this report."

Reuters Messaging rm://tyler.sitte.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net

($1=.6668 Euro)