L'Oreal H1 Net Profit Up 12%

L'Oreal SA LRLCY reported a 12% rise in its first-half net profit. L'Oreal's net profit for the period climbed to EUR1.47 billion ($2.12 billion), versus EUR1.31 billion, in the year-ago period. L'Oreal's operating margin declined to 16.8% from 17.3%. Its sales gained 5% to 10.2 billion euros. L'Oreal shares gained 0.96% to close at $25.36 yesterday.