Helen of Troy Posts Strong Q3 Results

The company, which makes Vidal Sassoon hair products and other personal care and housewares items, reported Thursday that it earned $32.9 million, or $1.04 per share, for the period ended Nov. 30. That’s ahead of the

The results beat the $1.02 per share that analysts polled by FactSet predicted.

Revenue increased 65% to $338.8 million, primarily due to Helen of Troy’s $260 million acquisition of consumer products maker Kaz Inc., which was completed in December 2010.Wall Street expected revenue of $318.8 million.

By segment, housewares unit revenue climbed 4.7%, while the personal care division posted a 1.7% revenue increase. Revenue in the company’s new Health care/home environment segment rose 3.5% on a pro forma basis.

Earlier this week, Helen of Troy announced that it closed on its acquisition of the water-purifier business PUR from Procter & Gamble Co. The deal, announced last month, includes all of PUR Water Purification Products Inc.’s outstanding stock and all assets related to making and selling products under the PUR trademark. It also involves PUR’s current and future product line, manufacturing equipment and more than 200 patents.

The transaction does not include Procter & Gamble’s Children’s Safe Drinking Water corporate philanthropy program. The powder product and patents used in that program will remain with P&G. PUR products include faucet mount systems and filters, pitcher systems and filters and refrigerator filters.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.