Staples, Inc. (SPLS) reported a fourth-quarter net loss to company of $260.35 million or $0.41 per share, compared to profit of $212.38 million or $0.33 per share, prior year. The company's fourth quarter 2014 results on a GAAP basis include $410 million of pre-tax charges for the impairment of goodwill in the company's Australia, China, and South America businesses, as well as $74 million of pre-tax restructuring and other charges. Adjusted profit from continuing operations was $197.95 million or $0.31 per share, for the quarter.
On average, 17 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to report profit per share of $0.30 for the quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.
Sales were $5.66 billion compared to $5.87 billion last year. Analysts expected revenue of $5.76 billion for the quarter. Total company sales grew one percent during the fourth quarter, excluding the impact of store closures in North America during the past year and changes in foreign exchange rates.
For the first quarter of 2015, the company expects sales to decrease versus the first quarter of 2014. The company expects non-GAAP earnings per share in the range of $0.16 to $0.18 for the first quarter of 2015. Analysts expect the company to report first-quarter earnings per share of $0.17.
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