Helen of Troy CEO "pleased with record sales"

Helen of Troy Limited (Nasdaq:HELE) CEO Gerald Rubin said the economic environment remains challenging for the personal-care products maker but that the El Paso, Texas-based firm is poised to effectively react to market changes. Rubin made the comments during a midday conference call.

“We are ready to take advantage of improvements in the retail environment,” Rubin said.

The company reported Tuesday morning that its first-quarter profit fell 45% to $5.6 million, or $0.18 per share, from $10.1 million, or $0.32 per share, a year earlier. Wall Street expected the firm to earn $0.30 per share.

Quarterly sales rose to $145 million from $140.2 million a year ago. Wall Street analysts, on average, projected $142.8 million.

“We are very pleased with our record sales for the first quarter,” Rubin said.

Strong sales in the house wares segment, which grew 15% compared with a year earlier, and international revenue, which jumped 9.1%, were a catalyst for . . .

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