Tupperware Profits Overflow

A veritable Tupperware (TUP Quote) party erupted Wednesday after the kitchenware maker squashed Wall Street expectations for the fourth quarter. Shares surged as high as 26%.

The Orlando, Fla., company, which also sells beauty and personal-care products through non-Tupperware brands, said it made $58.8 million, or 93 cents a share, excluding one-time items -- up 28.9% from last year's adjusted earnings of $45.6 million, or 74 cents a share. Revenue surged 18.6% year over year to $576.9 million.

Those results fly past the average analyst estimate of 80 cents a share on a top line of $532.1 million. Even the company itself, in its October outlook, had predicted a profit of just 78 cents to 83 cents a share for the fourth quarter. ...