Shares of furniture retailer Conn's Inc. soared 21% in premarket trade Thursday, after the company topped earnings estimates for its fiscal first quarter to April 30. The company said it swung to a profit of $12.7 million, or 39 cents a share, from a loss of $2.6 million, or 8 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. Adjusted per-share earnings came to 40 cents, well ahead of the FactSet consensus of 27 cents. Sales rose to $358.4 million from $355.8 million, also ahead of the FactSet consensus of $355.0 million. "Fiscal year 2019 is off to an excellent start," Chief Executive Norm Miller said in a statement. The company said it has positive same-store sales for April, the first positive month of same-store sales in more than two years. "Retail results benefited from record first quarter retail gross margin," he said. "Credit performance strengthened during the quarter, and our credit segment had its first quarter of operating income in four years. With our credit platform on a clear path towards improved financial results, we continue to focus on driving sustainable growth in our highly profitable retail segment." The company is now expecting second-quarter same-store sales to be flat to up 3%, which compares with a FactSet consensus of up 1%. Shares have fallen 27.9% in 2018 so far, while the S&P 500 has gained 3.7%.