Merck & Co (MRK). said profit in the first quarter will be reduced by 5 cents a share because of a devaluation of Venezuela’s currency.

Earnings excluding one-time items will be 76 cents to 78 cents a share, the Whitehouse Station, New Jersey-based company said today in a statement. Analysts had been expecting 86 cents, the average of 14 estimates (MRK) compiled by Bloomberg.

The devaluation of the currency won’t change Merck’s full- year earnings outlook, the company said. The Venezuelan government said on Feb. 8 that it intended to devalue its currency, moving the exchange rate to 4.30 bolivars per dollar from 6.30 bolivars per dollar.

Merck fell less than 1 percent to $41.15 at the close of New York trading.

To contact the reporter on this story: Shannon Pettypiece in New York at spettypiece@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reg Gale at rgale5@bloomberg.net