Consumer prices in the U.S. rose by more than expected in the month of February, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Friday, with the monthly price growth largely due to a sharp jump in energy prices.

The Labor Department said its consumer price index rose by 0.7 percent in February after coming in essentially unchanged in each of the two previous months. Economists had been expecting consumer prices to increase by about 0.5 percent.

Meanwhile, core consumer prices, which exclude food and energy costs, edged up by 0.2 percent in February following a 0.3 percent increase in January. The increase in core prices matched estimates.