HomeBase Posts Quarterly Loss

HomeBase Inc., which operates 83 home improvement warehouses, said it lost $3.9 million, or 10 cents a share, for the fourth quarter ended Jan. 31. For the comparable quarter a year ago, the company earned $25.5 million, or 78 cents a share, which included $27.3 million in income from discontinued operations. Sales increased 6% to $328.4 million from $309.8 million. For the year, net income was $11.2 million, or 31 cents a share, which included a $27-million pretax charge in the third quarter from closing stores. In the previous year, net income totaled $76.7 million, or $2.31 a share. Sales were flat at $1.5 billion.

HomeBase said it spun off BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. last July 28.