Argentina's Banco Macro 1st-qtr net profit steady

BUENOS AIRES, May 11 (Reuters) - Banco Macro (BMA.BA) (BMA.N), one of Argentina's largest private banks, on Monday reported a first-quarter net profit of 156 million pesos ($41.1 million), up from 151.6 million pesos a year earlier.

The net profit nearly matched market expectations. The median forecast in a Reuters survey of four analysts was for a quarterly net of 157.5 million pesos, with estimates ranging from 135 million to 166 million pesos.

The bank said in a statement its total deposits grew 9 percent in the quarter to 17.29 billion pesos.

($1 = 3.7925 pesos on March 31) (Reporting by Damian Wroclavsky; Writing by Hilary Burke; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)