Home prices in major U.S. metropolitan areas rose by slightly more than expected in the month of December, according to a report released by Standard & Poor's on Tuesday.

The report showed that the S&P/Case-Shiller 20-City Composite Home Price Index increased by a seasonally adjusted 0.9 percent in December following a 0.7 percent increase in November. Economists had been expecting the index to increase by about 0.8 percent.

Compared to the same month a year ago, the index rose by 6.8 percent in December, coming in line with economist estimates.

On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the 20-City Composite Home Price Index crept up by 0.2 percent in December after edging down by 0.1 percent in November.

A separate report from the Federal Housing Finance Agency showed that home prices rose by 0.6 percent in December following a revised 0.4 percent increase in November.