TOKYO, May 8 (Reuters) - Japanese trading house Itochu on Wednesday reported 801.8 billion yen ($5.2 billion) in net income for the fiscal year ended in March, coming in largely flat from last year and lower than estimates.

Analysts polled by LSEG expected Itochu to post 818.6 billion yen in net profit. The company, which posted net profit of 800.5 billion yen a year ago, noted its bottom line had exceeded 800 billion yen for three years in a row.

For the year ending in March 2025, Itochu expects a record net profit of 880 billion yen, unchanged from its April forecast, it said on Wednesday.

The company, in which Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway holds a minority stake, plans to buy back shares worth around 150 billion yen and targets a return on equity ratio of 16%, it said.

($1 = 155.1300 yen) (Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Jamie Freed and Tom Hogue)