Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Universal Forest Products, Inc. (UFPI) Reports Q3 Earnings

Things do not look good for companies in the construction supply chain.

Net earnings for the third quarter of 2010 were $2.6 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, compared to net earnings of $10.1 million, or $0.51 per diluted share, for the same period last year. 

While lumber prices stabilized during the third quarter of 2010, inventories were built earlier in the year—when lumber prices were up as much as 52 percent over the previous year—in preparation for a solid selling season, which didn’t materialize. At the end of June, the Company’s inventory consisted primarily of higher-cost lumber, which adversely affected profits in the third quarter.

OUTLOOK
The Company expects the current challenging conditions to prevail through 2010, limiting its ability to provide meaningful guidance for ranges of likely financial performance; therefore, the Company will not provide guidance for the foreseeable future. However, given the significant adverse impact of the lumber market mentioned earlier in this release, the Company does not expect to achieve growth in net earnings in 2010, although it is optimistic about its performance in 2011 and beyond as the economy improves, given its strong financial position, solid business model and diverse business opportunities.

No comments: