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Estee Lauder Reports Strong Second Quarter

The company's stock is up 42% in the past year.

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By: Jamie Matusow

Editor-in-Chief

The Estee Lauder Company’s fiscal second-quarter earnings rose a better-than-expected 34%, with the beauty-products company benefiting from strong holiday sales and a weaker U.S. dollar. Revenue also beat analysts’ expectations.

President and Chief Executive Fabrizio Freda said sales growth was led by its international businesses, particularly in travel retail and emerging markets and all its businesses benefited from its cost-cutting efforts.

For the year, the company again raised its earnings guidance, this time by 50 cents to $3.40 to $3.60 a share from its increased October forecast.

The company–which owns Clinique, Origins, Smashbox as well as its namesake brand–began to see pockets of improvement in demand last year. International sales have been driving growth, though company executives late last year saw a pick-up in the U.S., where the industry had been hurt by weaker consumer spending. Estee Lauder also has benefited from new product launches and an increase in advertising.

For the quarter ended Dec. 31, Estee Lauder reported a profit of $343.9 million, or $1.71 a share, up from $256.2 million, or $1.28 a share, a year earlier. Excluding restructuring charges and other items, earnings were $1.77. Estee Lauder in October expected $1.32 to $1.45 a share.

Revenue increased 10% to $2.49 billion. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters most recently forecast $2.42 billion.

Gross margin rose to 78.3% from 76.8%.

The company’s skin-care business–its largest by sales–posted top line growth of 14% and profit climbed 30%. Makeup sales improved 8%, with earnings up 14%. Its smaller fragrance business saw sales rise 11% and profit surge 48%.

Shares were up 4.9% at $84.49 in premarket trading. The stock is up 42% in the past year.

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