Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales was 13% in fiscal year 2022 compared to 12% in fiscal year 2021. Selling, general and administrative expenses were $6,477,988 for fiscal year 2022 compared to $5,286,172 for fiscal year 2021. The dollar increases in expenses in 2022 were due to the increase in variable expenses which were a direct result of employee benefits compensation due to the increase in sales.
The Company earned interest in the amount of $234,804 in fiscal year 2022 compared to $180,635 in fiscal year 2021. Interest income is dependent on our cash balance and available rates of return. The increase during 2022 is primarily due to the increase in the interest rates.
The Company earned $60,457 from its joint venture, Majestic 21, in fiscal year 2022 compared to $59,072 in fiscal year 2021. The earnings from Majestic 21 represent the allocation of profit and losses which are owned 50% by 21st Mortgage Corporation and 50% by the Company. The earnings from the Majestic 21 loan portfolio could vary year to year, but overall, the earnings will continue to decrease due to the amortization, maturity and payoff of the loans.
We received $364,520 in fiscal year 2022 and $246,216 in fiscal year 2021 under an escrow arrangement related to a Finance Revenue Sharing Agreement (FRSA) between 21st Mortgage Corporation and the Company. The distributions from the escrow account, related to certain loans financed by 21st Mortgage Corporation, are recorded in income by the Company as received, which has been the Company’s past practice. The increase in earnings is primarily due to the four distributions received in fiscal year 2022 compared to three distributions received fiscal year 2021. The earnings overall from the FRSA loan portfolio will continue to decrease due to the amortization and payoff of the loans.
The Company realized pre-tax income of $9,436,534 in fiscal year 2022 compared to a pre-tax income of $7,118,733 in fiscal year 2021.
The Company recorded an income tax expense of $2,204,505 in fiscal year 2022 compared to $1,719,925 in fiscal year 2021.
Net income in fiscal year 2022 was $7,232,029 or $2.10 per basic and diluted share and net income in fiscal year 2021 was $5,398,808 or $1.50 per basic and diluted share.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Cash and cash equivalents were $16,653,449 at November 5, 2022 compared to $36,126,059 at November 6, 2021. Certificates of deposit were $3,903,888 at November 5, 2022 compared to $2,093,015 at November 6, 2021. Short-term investments were $589,071 at November 5, 2022 compared to $621,928 at November 6, 2021. Working capital was $33,667,732 at November 5, 2022 compared to $35,563,355 at November 6, 2021. A cash dividend was paid from our cash reserves in April 2022 in the amount of $1.00 per share ($3,532,976). During fiscal 2022, the Company repurchased an aggregate 162,570 of shares of its common stock for an aggregate of $5,195,267 and Prestige purchased from other manufacturers 153 ($12,595,593) new homes to help eliminate the large backlog from Nobility. Prestige new home inventory was $20,016,093 at November 5, 2022 compared to $7,140,880 at November 6, 2021. The increase in Prestige new home inventory was due to the 121 ($10,432,998) new homes in inventory that were purchased from other manufacturers. Prestige has 99 ($8,198,040) new homes from Nobility and other manufacturers that are included in inventory and are in the field waiting to be completed and closed. We own the entire inventory for our Prestige retail sales centers which includes new, pre-owned and repossessed or foreclosed homes and do not incur any third-party floor plan financing expenses. The Company incurred $1.1 million in fiscal year 2022 in building an 11,900 square foot frame shop to manufacture steel frames for our homes. In April 2022 Prestige sold 4.38 acres of land frontage at the Inverness location for $96,970 to the Florida Department of Transportation for SR 41 road widening project. A cash dividend was paid from our cash reserves in March 2021 in the amount of $1.00 per share ($3,632,100). During fiscal 2021, the Company repurchased an aggregate of 100,346 shares of its common stock for an aggregate of $3,478,553. In January 2021 the Company purchased the land for the Tavares retail sales center for $245,000, land in Ocala for a future retail sales center in February 2021 for $1,040,000 and land for the Ocala South retail sales center in March 2021 for $500,000.
The Company currently has no line of credit facility and no debt and does not believe that such a facility is currently necessary to its operations. The Company also has approximately $4.1 million of cash surrender value of life insurance which it may be able to access as an additional source of liquidity though the Company has not currently viewed this to be necessary. As of November 5, 2022, the Company continued to report a strong balance sheet which included total assets of approximately $62.4 million which was funded primarily by stockholders’ equity of approximately $47.9 million.
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