Gross profit margin fell from 12 percent to 9 percent mostly due to falling lumber prices early in the quarter and a change in product mix resulting from acquisitions whose product mix is more heavily weighted toward treated lumber.
Full Year: $3.42 billion in net sales, up 58 percent from 2020 due to a 35 percent increase in unit sales from acquisitions, a 27 percent increase in selling prices, and a 4 percent decline in organic unit sales. Unit sales rose for UFP Edge (up 17 percent), Deckorators (up 9 percent), and Outdoor Essentials (up 5 percent). Unit sales fell for ProWood (down 14 percent). Gross profit rose 1.6 percent to $298 million, well below the segment’s 31 percent increase in unit sales. Gross profit was unfavorably impacted by falling lumber prices from June through October and the treated lumber sales of acquisitions.
UFP Industrial
Fourth Quarter: $514.9 million in net sales, up 67 percent from the fourth quarter of 2020 due to a 42 percent increase in selling prices, a 29 percent increase in unit sales from the acquisition of PalletOne, and a 4 percent decline in organic unit growth. Organic unit growth was adversely impacted by capacity and labor constraints, long lead times for equipment, and the company’s strategy of being more selective in taking on new business to focus on higher-margin products. Gross profit rose 152 percent to $123 million, exceeding unit sales growth of 29 percent, due to acquisitions, an increasing proportion of value-added products, and value-based pricing discipline that includes the impact of higher lumber, labor and transportation costs.
Full Year: $2.15 billion in net sales, up 100 percent from the previous year due to a 60 percent increase in selling prices, a 35 percent increase in unit sales from the acquisition of PalletOne, and a 5 percent increase in organic unit sales. Gross profit rose 163 percent to $465 million, exceeding unit sales growth of 40 percent, due to value-based pricing discipline and leveraging fixed costs, as well as a greater proportion of value-added products.
UFP Construction
Fourth Quarter: $677.3 million in net sales, up 33 percent over the fourth quarter of 2020, due to an 18 percent increase in selling prices, a 13 percent increase in organic unit growth, and a 2 percent increase in unit sales from acquisitions. Unit sales increased to these markets: commercial (up 38 percent), manufactured housing (up 20 percent) and residential (up 6 percent). Gross profit increased 98 percent to $154 million in the fourth quarter, due to better pricing discipline and the company’s ability to better leverage fixed costs.
Full Year: $2.70 billion in net sales, up 59 percent from the previous year due to a 42 percent increase in selling prices, a 14 percent increase in organic unit sales, and a 3 percent increase in unit sales from acquisitions. Unit sales increased to these markets: manufactured housing (up 25 percent), residential (up 21 percent), and commercial (up 16 percent). For the year, gross profit increased 103 percent to $531 million, exceeding unit sales growth of 17 percent, due to better pricing discipline and the company’s ability to better leverage fixed costs.
CONFERENCE CALL
UFP Industries will conduct a conference call to discuss information included in this news release and related matters at 4:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 16, 2022. The call will be hosted by CEO Matthew J. Missad and CFO Michael Cole, and will be available for analysts and institutional investors domestically at 866-518-4547 and internationally at 213-660-0879. Use conference pass code 4878996. The conference call will be available simultaneously and in its entirety to all interested investors and news media through a webcast at http://www.ufpi.com. A replay of the call will be available through February 18, 2022, at 855-859-2056 or 404-537-3406.