Hot Topic 3rd-quarter outlook range meets Street

The teen clothing retailer said comparable sales, or sales in stores open at least a year, will likely slide in the "low-single digits." Same-store sales is an important measure of retail health, because it measures growth at existing locations rather than from expansion.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect the company to earn 15 cents per share on revenue of $188.8 million.

For the fiscal fourth-quarter, the owner of Hot Topic and Torrid stores said it expected to earn between 25 cents and 28 cents per share.

Both estimates include a charge of 1 cent to 2 cents per share relating to the launch of the company's online music initiative.

Analysts predict Hot Topic will earn 28 cents per share in the fourth-quarter on revenue of $223 million.

Separately Wednesday, Hot Topic said its second-quarter loss narrowed as revenue inched up slightly.

For the three months ending Aug. 2, the retail lost $450,000, or a penny a share. That compares with a year-ago loss of $1.7 million, or 4 cents per share.

In aftermarket electronic trading, Hot Topic shares fell 62 cents, or 9 percent, to $6.25, after closing up 11 cents at $6.87 in Wednesday's regular session.