TreeHouse Reports 4Q Loss

OAK BROOK, Ill. (AP) — TreeHouse Foods Inc. on Thursday reported a fourth-quarter loss of $281.8 million, after reporting a profit in the same period a year earlier.

The Oak Brook, Illinois-based company said it had a loss of $4.96 per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were $1.14 per share.

The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of eight analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.08 per share.

The food maker posted revenue of $1.78 billion in the period, which also topped Street forecasts. Seven analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.76 billion.

For the year, the company reported a loss of $228.6 million, or $4.10 per share, swinging to a loss in the period. Revenue was reported as $6.18 billion.

For the current quarter ending in April, TreeHouse expects its per-share earnings to range from 60 cents to 70 cents.

The company expects full-year earnings in the range of $3.50 to $3.70 per share, with revenue ranging from $6.4 billion to $6.6 billion.

TreeHouse shares have risen roughly 5 percent since the beginning of the year. The stock has declined 1 percent in the last 12 months.