Home goods retailer Kirkland's said Thursday its fourth-quarter sales came in at almost $163 million, slightly above the consensus estimate of analysts following the company. That was an increase of more than 9 percent from late 2011, driven by a number of new-store openings.

Same-store sales for the last three months of 2012 fell 2.6 percent. Nevertheless, executives also said they expect to report per-share profits next month of between 71 and 76 cents. The Street's consensus stands at 74 cents per share.

The company's preliminary statement on its Q4 performance also said that President and CEO Bob Alderson has returned to his work after a 10-week medical leave for an unspecified condition. In the interim, CFO Mike Madden led the company, which runs almost 320 stores in 35 states.