Procter & Gamble posts surprise sales rise, profit beats

[October 19, 2018]  (Reuters) - Procter & Gamble Co <PG.N> reported a surprise rise in first-quarter sales on Friday on strong demand for its beauty products and cleaning supplies, helping it in its fight against competition from cheaper store-branded products.

The company's shares were up 3.4 percent before the opening bell. The stock has fallen 13 percent this year, underperforming the broader consumer products index.

Sales rose 5 percent in the consumer giant's beauty business, driven by double-digit sales of its premium skin care brands SK-II and Olay.

Sales in its fabric and home care division, the biggest unit by sales, rose 2 percent. The unit sells Tide detergent and Febreze air fresheners among other products.

The company's grooming business was a bright spot, seeing volume growth of 5 percent as price cuts boosted demand.

Net income attributable to the company rose to $3.20 billion, or $1.22 per share, in the first quarter ended Sept. 30, from $2.85 billion, or $1.06 per share, a year earlier.

Excluding items, the company earned $1.12 per share beating Wall Street estimate of $1.09 per share, according to I/B/E/S data from Refinitiv.

Net sales rose marginally to $16.69 billion from $16.65 billion. Analysts had expected overall sales to fall to $16.46 billion.

(Reporting by Soundarya J in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)

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