Depreciation and amortization increased $700,000 in fiscal year 2023 compared to fiscal year 2022. The increase in depreciation and amortization expense was primarily due to increased depreciation on new and updated digital tools deployed for use by the Company’s network of agents, capacity providers and employees, partially offset by decreased trailing equipment depreciation.
The year-over-prior-year change in interest and debt (income) expense was $7,566,000, with net interest and debt income of $3,946,000 in fiscal year 2023 compared to net interest and debt expense of $3,620,000 in fiscal year 2022. The increase in interest and debt (income) expense was primarily attributable to increased interest income earned on cash balances held by the transportation logistics segment, decreased interest expense related to finance lease obligations and decreased average borrowings on the Company’s revolving credit facility, as the Company had no borrowings during the 2023 fiscal year.
The effective income tax rate was 24.0% for fiscal year 2023 and 24.1% for fiscal year 2022. The effective income tax rates for both fiscal years 2023 and 2022 were higher than the statutory federal income tax rate of 21% primarily attributable to state income taxes and nondeductible executive compensation, partially offset by excess tax benefits realized on stock-based awards.
Net income was $264,394,000, or $7.36 per basic and diluted share, in fiscal year 2023. Net income was $430,914,000, or $11.76 per basic and diluted share, in fiscal year 2022.
Capital Resources and Liquidity
Working capital and the ratio of current assets to current liabilities were $646,713,000 and 2.0 to 1, respectively, at December 28, 2024, compared with $677,517,000 and 2.0 to 1, respectively, at December 30, 2023, and $561,255,000 and 1.6 to 1, respectively, at December 31, 2022. Landstar has historically operated with current ratios within the range of 1.5 to 1 to 2.0 to 1. Cash provided by operating activities was $286,561,000, $393,648,000, and $622,659,000 in fiscal years 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decrease in cash flow provided by operating activities for fiscal year 2024 was primarily attributable to decreased net income and decreased favorable net working capital impacts in connection with decreased net receivables, defined as accounts receivable less accounts payable. The decrease in cash flow provided by operating activities for fiscal year 2023 was primarily attributable to decreased net income and decreased favorable net working capital impacts in connection with the timing of collections of receivables and payment of certain payables as compared to the 2022 fiscal year.
The Company declared and paid $1.38 per share, or $49,043,000 in the aggregate, in cash dividends during fiscal year 2024, and during such period, also paid $71,433,000 of dividends payable which were declared during fiscal year 2023 and included in current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet at December 30, 2023. In addition, on December 9, 2024, the Company announced that its Board of Directors declared a special cash dividend of $2.00 per share, or $70,632,000 in the aggregate, payable on January 21, 2025 to stockholders of record of its Common Stock as of January 7, 2025. Dividends payable of $70,632,000 related to this special dividend were included in current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet at December 28, 2024. The Company declared and paid $1.26 per share, or $45,276,000 in the aggregate, in cash dividends during fiscal year 2023, and during such period, also paid $71,854,000 of dividends payable which were declared during fiscal year 2022 and included in current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2022. The Company declared and paid $1.10 per share, or $40,284,000 in the aggregate, in cash dividends during fiscal year 2022 and, during such period, also paid $75,387,000 of dividends payable which were declared during fiscal year 2021 and included in current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet at December 25, 2021. Since paying its first cash dividend in August 2005, the Company has paid approximately $965,000,000 in cash dividends in the aggregate to its stockholders, inclusive of the $2.00 per share special dividend paid on January 21, 2025.
During fiscal year 2024, the Company purchased 452,019 shares of its Common Stock at a total cost of $82,117,000, including $81,400,000 in cash purchases and accrued excise tax of $717,000 which is included in other current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet at December 28, 2024. During fiscal year 2023, the Company purchased 319,332 shares of its Common Stock at a total cost of $54,267,000, including $53,919,000 in cash purchases and excise tax of $348,000 which was included in other current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet at December 30, 2023 and paid during fiscal year 2024. During fiscal year 2022, the Company purchased 1,900,826 shares of its Common Stock at a total cost of $285,983,000. The Company has used cash provided by operating activities to fund the purchases. Since January 1997, the Company has purchased approximately $2,335,000,000 of its Common Stock under programs authorized by the Board of Directors of the Company in open market and private block transactions. As of December 28, 2024, the Company may purchase in the aggregate up to 2,547,981 shares of its Common Stock under its authorized stock purchase programs. Long-term debt, including current maturities, was $102,307,000 at December 28, 2024, compared to $71,140,000 at December 30, 2023 and $103,400,000 at December 31, 2022.
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