Service Centers
Friedman swings to loss amid 'challenging' market
Written by Ethan Bernard
November 13, 2024
| Second quarter ended Sept. 30 | 2024 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net sales | $106.8 | $130.7 | -18.3% |
| Net earnings (loss) | $(0.675) | $3.5 | -119.2% |
| Per diluted share | $(0.10) | $0.48 | -120.8% |
| Six months ended Sept. 30 | |||
| Net sales | $221.3 | $268.0 | -17.4% |
| Net earnings (loss) | $1.9 | $11.2 | -83.1% |
| Per diluted share | $0.27 | $1.52 | -82.2% |
Friedman Industries swung to a loss in its fiscal second quarter ended Sept. 30 amid “challenging” business conditions.
The Longview, Texas-based steel processor posted a loss of $675,000 in its Q2’25 vs. net income of $3.5 million a year earlier. Sales fell 18% to $106.8 million.
“We experienced challenging conditions during the second fiscal quarter driven by industry-specific and macroeconomic factors,” President and CEO Michael J. Taylor said in a statement on Tuesday.
He noted there was “industry-wide pricing pressure” during the quarter.
“Hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices stabilized during the quarter after declining since the start of 2024, but a combination of soft demand from some customers and political uncertainty held off upward price momentum and volume,” Taylor added.
Sales volumes/segment performance
Sales volumes in the quarter totaled ~121,500 tons of inventory sold and another 18,000 tons of toll processing customer-owned material. This was down from ~129,500 tons of inventory sold and another 26,000 tons of toll processing in the year-ago quarter.
The company attributed the drop to a “combination of weaker demand among some customers and hesitancy among others given the political uncertainty at the time.”
The company’s flat-roll product segment sales for the 2024 quarter totaled ~$97.4 million, down ~19% from~$120.5 million a year earlier.
Meanwhile, Friedman logged ~$9.4 million in tubular product segment sales in fiscal Q2, off ~8% from ~$10.2 million in the same quarter last year.
Outlook
Friedman expects sales volumes in the current quarter to be slightly lower than the previous quarter “due primarily to the seasonal impact of the holidays.”
The company noted that HRC prices have remained stable to start this quarter, which has led to minimal changes in its sales prices and margins.
As a result of this, Friedman said it “may experience a generally challenging margin environment in the third [fiscal] quarter.”
“Despite the current macro-economic headwinds, I see a favorable long-term demand outlook for the industry and our products, and believe we have a team uniquely qualified to recognize Friedman’s fullest potential,” Taylor concluded.
Ethan Bernard
Read more from Ethan BernardLatest in Service Centers
Worthington Steel sees demand improvement after earnings slump
Lower volumes and steel prices dampened Worthington Steel’s profits, but market momentum is building, the metals processor said in its most recent quarterly earnings report.
Galvanized buyers see strong demand, but uncertainty lingers
Demand is up, but tariffs raise concerns
Olympic taps Zito for new VP of development role
Cleveland-based Olympic Steel Inc. has promoted Scott M. Zito to the newly created role of vice president of business development. Zito has been with the company for more than 40 years.
Worthington Steel and Samuel to close Cleveland coil processing JV
Worthington Steel confirmed it is closing the Worthington Samuel Coil Processing (WSCP) facility in Cleveland. WSCP is a joint venture between Worthington Steel and Oakville, Ontario-based Samuel, Son & Co.
Galvanized buyers brace for market shifts amid rising tariffs
One buyer summed up the prevailing sentiment: “Everything is pointing up — pricing, sentiment, order activity. But the real test will come once the immediate reactionary buying subsides. Will there be enough true demand to support these levels through mid-year? That’s the big unknown.”