ORIONS Money Stocks

[AugustaFriends]

ZZ - * Q2 EPS from cont ops. $0.01 vs est $0.00

* Q2 net sales $321.3 mln vs est. $294.8 mln

* Shares up 8 percent after the bell (Follows alerts)

June 28 (Reuters) - Sealy Corp's second-quarter profit beat estimates by a penny as strong sales were partially offset by costs associated with the launch of the company's Posturepedic line of mattresses, sending its shares up 8 percent after the bell.

For the quarter ended May 29, the company reported net income from continuing operations of $0.8 million, or 1 cent a share, compared with $3.7 million, or $0.03, last year.

Analysts were expecting the company to break-even on a per-share basis in the second quarter, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Net sales at the Trinity, North Carolina-based company rose 11 percent to $321.3 million, sailing past expectations of $294.8 million.

The company benefited from strong sales of its Next Generation Posturepedic line, which had been distributed to the majority of Sealy's customers by the end of the quarter.

Shares of the company were up 8 percent at $2.70 in extended trade. They closed at $2.50 on Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Abhishek Takle in Bangalore; Editing by Prem Udayabhanu)