“First quarter trends and feedback from the Trex dealer and distributor network indicate that the industry has returned to stability and normalized stocking behaviors. Channel inventories are at appropriate levels, and those inventories were built to support our partners’ ability to meet the seasonal nature of the decking and railing business.
“Profitability outpaced sales growth once again as higher utilization and our investments in production efficiencies more than offset the expected increase in SG&A costs.
“Supporting our strategy to gain share and expand addressable markets through the development of new ancillary products, we announced and began accepting orders for Trex®-branded deck fasteners in the first quarter. This category expansion, when fully seeded in 2024, will include solutions for every composite deck fastening and finishing need, and is engineered to make installation easier and more efficient for contractors. In addition, the new Trex-branded deck fasteners will deliver a clean, cohesive esthetic to the consumer, make it easy for customers to choose Trex for their entire project and position Trex as a one-stop supplier for decking, railing, and accessories.” Mr. Fairbanks noted.
First Quarter 2024 Results
First quarter 2024 net sales were $374 million, up 57% compared to $239 million reported in the prior-year quarter. The growth in net sales was driven, in part, by the shift of our Early Buy season from the fourth quarter of 2023 that added approximately $75 million in incremental first quarter 2024 sales, the channel recalibrating inventories to prepare for the seasonal demand and increased consumer demand. Total sell-through increased at a mid-single digit rate in the first quarter.
Gross profit was $170 million and gross margin was 45.4%, up 80% and 580 basis points, respectively, compared to the $94 million and 39.6% reported in the same quarter last year. Gross margin benefitted from a combination of increased capacity utilization along with related production efficiencies, and continued implementation of our cost improvement initiatives.
Selling, general and administrative expenses were $51 million, or 13.5% of net sales, compared to $37 million, or 15.7% of net sales, in the 2023 first quarter. This increase is aligned with accelerated branding and marketing program spend for newly launched products, and new product development initiatives.