Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), the Gulf state's largest sharia-compliant lender by assets, beat the average forecast of analysts as it reported a 14.6 percent jump in fourth-quarter net profit on Tuesday, according to Reuters calculations.

The Islamic lender made a net profit of SR540 million ($148.3 million) during the period, compared with SR471.4 million in the same quarter a year earlier, Reuters calculations showed, using financial statements in the absence of a quarterly earnings breakdown.

Four analysts polled by Reuters had forecast on average the bank to make a quarterly net profit of SR529.9 million.

The Qatari lender reported a profit of SR1.95 billion for 2015, a 22 per cent increase from the previous year, QIB said in an emailed statement.

The bank has proposed paying a cash dividend of SR4.25 per share for 2015, the statement said. That is the same as the payout for the previous year.  - Reuters