Shares of Torm PLC (NASDAQ:TRMD) soared 5.30% in pre-market trading on Thursday, as investors responded positively to the company's better-than-expected second-quarter earnings report. The Danish shipping company managed to outperform analyst estimates, particularly in terms of sales, despite facing industry-wide challenges.

Torm reported quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.58, slightly surpassing the analyst consensus estimate of $0.57. However, it was the company's sales figures that truly impressed the market. Torm announced quarterly sales of $315.20 million, dramatically outperforming the analyst consensus estimate of $208.19 million by a staggering 51.40%.

While the reported figures represent year-over-year declines - with EPS down 71.29% from $2.02 and sales down 27.99% from $437.70 million in the same quarter last year - Torm's ability to exceed market expectations in a challenging environment has clearly boosted investor confidence. The shipping industry has been grappling with various headwinds, including global economic uncertainties and fluctuating fuel prices, making Torm's better-than-expected performance particularly noteworthy to investors. This strong showing, especially in sales, appears to be the primary driver behind the stock's significant pre-market surge.