Revlon Jumps as Investors Embrace Beauty Giant’s Slim-Down Plans

(Bloomberg) -- Revlon Inc. surged the most in a month after the cosmetics giant said it will reduce costs by as much as $150 million by the end of next year in a plan that will include job cuts.

Key Insights

• Revlon is reallocating resources to focus on “higher-priority growth areas,” Chief Executive Officer Debra Perelman said in a statement Friday. She said the plans will lead to some headcount reductions.
• Revlon has struggled to turn around its business as it fends off a growing field of competitors. Specialty beauty stores and online-only concepts have rattled the cosmetics industry.
• The company is already making some progress. Profit rebounded in the third quarter from a loss a year earlier. “Revenues have steadied and they got a little margin momentum,” said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Noel Hebert.

Market Reaction

• The shares climbed as much as 22 percent to $26.70 in New York Friday. The stock had been unchanged this year through Thursday’s close, compared with the 5 percent gain in the S&P 500 Index.
• For more details on the quarterly results and cost-cut plans, click here.

To contact the reporters on this story: Lisa Wolfson in Boston at lwolfson@bloomberg.net;Janet Freund in New York at jfreund11@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anne Riley Moffat at ariley17@bloomberg.net, Jonathan Roeder

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