Dec 17 (Reuters) - Apparel retailer Quiksilver Inc (ZQK.N) posted an adjusted quarterly profit ahead of estimates of a loss, helped by cost cuts, and forecast a first-quarter loss on a 7 percent fall in sales.

Photo: quiksilver-europe.com

The retailer, which makes surf-inspired apparel, posted a loss of $1.7 million, or 1 cent per share, compared with a loss of 0.1 million, or 1 cent per share, a year ago.

Excluding special items, it earned 2 cents a share.

Fourth-quarter pro-forma income from continuing operations was $3.2 million, or 2 cents per share, excluding $22.3 million in restructuring and retail store impairment charges, partially offset by a tax adjustment of $3.3 million, the company said.

Revenue fell 11 percent to $538.7 million.

Analysts on average had expected a loss of 5 cents a share, before special items, on revenue of $519.7 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

The Huntington Beach, California-based company forecast first-quarter loss of 12 cents to 15 cents a share, versus analysts' average loss estimate of 13 cents a share, on revenue on $417.6 million.

Quiksilver shares fell 4 percent in trading after the bell. They closed at $1.69 Thursday 17 December on the New York Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Vidya Lakshmi in Bangalore; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)