Wild Oats Posts 1st-Quarter Profit

Wild Oats Markets Inc., North America’s second-largest natural-foods grocer, had a first-quarter profit after five straight quarterly losses. Its shares rose as much as 26%.

Net income was $668,000, or 3 cents a share, contrasted with a loss of $118,000 in the year-earlier quarter, the company said. It broke even on a per-share basis in the year-ago period.

Wall Street had expected the company to lose 3 cents.

Sales rose 6.2% to $233 million and same-store sales climbed 7.3% as the company increased advertising and pricing promotions.

The shares of Boulder, Colo.-based Wild Oats rose $3.15 to $13.95 on Nasdaq.