Helen of Troy Reports Q1 Earnings Results

Shares of Helen of Troy HELE are trading higher in the after-hours following the release of the company's Q1 earnings results. Currently, shares are higher by 0.15%, trading at $36.63; they ended the regular session higher by 2.55%, at $36.58. Helen of Troy reported Q1 EPS of $0.78 on revenues of $271.467 million. Revenues increased 69.5% year over year, due largely to the acquisition of Kaz on December 31, 2010. Consolidated gross profit margin as a percentage of net sales revenue for the fiscal quarter ended May 31, 2011 decreased 4.7 percentage points to 40.5 percent compared to 45.2 percent for the same period last year. Gerald J. Rubin, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, commenting on the Company's first quarter results, stated "We continue to execute well across all of our market segments. During the first quarter, our net sales revenue and net income increased in all of our reporting segments. We are pleased that we were able to deliver record net income for the first quarter in a continuing soft sales environment.” Helen of Troy Corporation is a global designer, developer, importer and distributor of a portfolio of consumer products. The company operates in two segments: Personal Care and Housewares.