CHICAGO RIVET & MACHINE CO.
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
Results of Operations
Net sales for the first quarter of 2019 were $8,621,678 compared to $10,011,641 in the first quarter of 2018, a decline of $1,389,963, or 13.9%. The decline was primarily due to reduced demand for fastener segment parts, especially from automotive customers. The lower sales resulted in net income of $286,842, or $0.30 per share, in the first quarter of this year compared to $707,788, or $0.73 per share, in the first quarter of 2018. During the quarter, a regular quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share was paid and an extra dividend of $0.30 per share was paid based on the strong operating results achieved in 2018.
Fastener segment revenues were $7,579,120 in the first quarter of 2019, a decline of $1,345,979, or 15.1%, from $8,925,099 reported in the first quarter of 2018. The automotive sector is the primary market for our fastener segment products and sales to automotive customers accounted for $1,330,979 of the total segment decline. U.S. light-vehicle production and sales both declined during the first quarter of 2019. Our sales to automotive customers in the United States declined $1,059,880, or 21.5%, in the first quarter of the current year compared to the first quarter a year ago. For the same period, our sales to foreign automotive customers declined $271,099, or 24.3%, with most of the decline relating to shipments to China where passenger car sales have declined year-over-year for nine straight months. Fastener segment sales tonon-automotive customers declined less than 1% during the first quarter. Production costs in the first quarter were higher than a year earlier, mainly due to higher material costs related to tariffs instituted in 2018. Steel is our primary raw material and on average, steel prices were approximately 15% higher in the first quarter of 2019 than in the year earlier quarter. Higher production costs combined with the decline in sales contributed to a decline in fastener segment gross margins from $1,976,640 in the first quarter of 2018 to $1,325,186 in the first quarter of 2019.
Assembly equipment segment revenues were $1,042,558 in the first quarter of 2019 compared to $1,086,542 in the first quarter of 2018, a decline of $43,984, or 4.0%. Overall, customer demand was relatively stable during the quarter with tools and parts sales reflecting an increase in the current year compared to a year earlier and the total number of machines shipped also increasing. The decline in net sales was primarily due to the shipment of a high-dollar machine order in the prior year quarter. The decline in net sales contributed to a $29,788 decrease in segment gross margin from $366,365 in 2018 to $336,577 in 2019.
Selling and administrative expenses during the first quarter of 2019 were $1,342,696 compared to $1,464,718 recorded in the first quarter of 2018, a decline of $122,022, or 8.3%. The decline was primarily due to a $62,000 reduction in profit sharing expense related to lower operating profit in the current year quarter and a $33,000 reduction in sales commissions due to the drop in net sales. Compared to net sales, selling and administrative expenses were 15.6% in the first quarter of 2019 compared to 14.6% in the first quarter of 2018.
Other Income
Other income in the first quarter of 2019 was $48,775 compared to $33,501 in the first quarter of 2018. The increase is primarily related to an increase in interest income on certificates of deposit due to higher interest rates in the current year.
Income Tax Expense
The Company’s effective tax rates were approximately 22.0% and 22.4% for the first quarter of 2019 and 2018, respectively.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Working capital amounted to $16.7 million as of March 31, 2019, a decrease of $0.8 million from the beginning of the current year. Contributing to that decline were capital expenditures in the first quarter of $0.9 million, which primarily consisted of equipment used in production activities, and dividends paid of $0.5 million. Overall, cash, cash equivalents and certificates of deposit balances declined $2.1 million during the first quarter. Partially offsetting that decline was a $0.7 million increase in inventory as raw material purchases were accelerated in advance of price increases and delivery delays by certain customers. Additionally, accounts receivable increased by $0.4 million due to greater sales activity
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