Reported diluted earnings per share were $0.69, compared with a loss of $0.74 in the fourth quarter of 2017.
Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2018 was $223 million, compared with $197 million for the same period last year. Profit in the fourth quarter of 2018 benefited from higherend-market demand, conversion of the sales backlog, and acquisition synergies, partially offset by higher commodity costs.
Diluted adjusted earnings per share were $0.71 in the fourth quarter of 2018, compared with $0.62 in the same period last year.
Operating cash flow in the fourth quarter of 2018 was $331 million, compared with $193 million in the same period of 2017. Adjusted free cash flow was $241 million, compared with $51 million in the fourth quarter of 2017, driven by higher earnings and lower capital spending, partially offset by higher working capital requirements to support new program launches in 2018.
Full-year 2018 Financial Results
Sales for 2018 were $8.143 billion, $934 million higher than 2017, primarily due to strongend-market demand, conversion of sales backlog, and to a lesser extent, acquisitions and recovery of material inflation.
Net income in 2018 was $427 million, compared with net income of $111 million in 2017, which included the fourth-quarternon-recurring tax item in 2017 referenced above.
Reported diluted earnings per share were $2.91, compared with $0.71 in 2017.
Adjusted EBITDA for 2018 was $957 million, or 11.8 percent of sales, 20 basis points higher than 2017. Strongerend-market demand more than offset the margin headwind attributable to the effects of higher raw material prices and the associated material recovery reflected in sales.
Diluted adjusted earnings per share for 2018 were $2.97, compared with $2.52 in 2017, an 18 percent increase, primarily reflecting higher year-over-year earnings improvement.
The company reported operating cash flow of $568 million in 2018, an improvement of $14 million compared with 2017. Adjusted free cash flow was $243 million, or 3 percent of sales, compared with $161 million, or 2 percent of sales in 2017. The improvement was driven by higher earnings and lower capital spending, partially offset by higher working capital requirements to support sales growth.
2