By Rob Curran

Shares of Helen of Troy rallied premarket after the consumer-products company posted a narrower-than-anticipated fiscal fourth-quarter loss and forecast a profit for the fiscal year ahead.

The El Paso, Tex., maker of hair dryers and other consumer products posted a swing to a loss of $55.6 million, or $2.41 a share, for the quarter ended in February, in contrast to a profit of $50.9 million, or $2.22 a share, a year earlier.

Stripping out certain one-off items, including hefty impairment charges, Helen of Troy posted adjusted earnings of 83 cents a share, topping the average analyst forecast of 70 cents a share, as per FactSet.

Sales fell 3.3% to $470 million, also surpassing the Wall Street peg of $450.5 million.

Sales at the home and outdoor unit fell 1.5% due to competition, softer consumer demand, seasonal and other factors. Beauty and wellness sales fell 4.7% amid weak demand for beauty and humidification products.

For the year ending in February 2027, Helen of Troy targets earnings of $3.57-to-$4.18 a share, and adjusted earnings of $3.25-to-$3.75 a share.

The company projects fiscal 2027 sales in a range between $1.75 billion and $1.82 billion, compared with $1.79 billion for the recently-completed fiscal year.

Shares of Helen of Troy rose 15% to $22.76, premarket. Shares were down about 42% for the trailing 12 months coming in to Thursday's session.

Write to Rob Curran at rob.curran@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 23, 2026 08:33 ET (12:33 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.