Avon Reports Fourth-Quarter Loss

NEW YORK, United States — Avon Products Inc. (AVP) on Thursday reported a loss of $10.7 million in its fourth quarter.

On a per-share basis, the New York, New York-based company said it had a loss of 4 cents. Earnings, adjusted for pretax expenses and restructuring costs, came to 1 cent per share.

The results fell short of Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 9 cents per share.

The direct seller of cosmetics posted revenue of $1.57 billion in the period, which also did not meet Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.6 billion.

For the year, the company reported that its loss narrowed to $107.6 million, or 29 cents per share. Revenue was reported as $5.72 billion.

Avon shares have risen 16 percent since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index has risen nearly 5 percent. The stock has climbed 74 percent in the last 12 months.