We believe that sustainability guides and permeates every aspect of our business, including our product development strategy and design, and how we structure our operations. Our innovation strategy is focused on differentiated products and solutions that will provide greater opportunity to distinguish ourselves in the marketplace, while at the same time creating innovative products and smart solutions to protect, control, and conserve critical resources, and help our customers with their sustainability efforts through the use of our products. We continually look for strategic opportunities to invest in new products and markets or divest existing product lines where necessary in order to meet those objectives.
Over the past several years we have been building our smart and connected foundation by expanding our internal capabilities and making strategic acquisitions. Our strategy is to deliver superior customer value through smart and connected enabled products and solutions. This strategy focuses on three dimensions: Connect, Control and Conserve. We are focused on introducing products that connect our customers with smart systems, control systems for optimal performance, and conserve critical resources by increasing operability, efficiency and safety.
Products representing a majority of our sales are subject to regulatory standards and code enforcement, which typically require that these products meet stringent performance criteria. We have consistently advocated for the development and enforcement of such plumbing codes. We are focused on maintaining stringent quality control and testing procedures at each of our manufacturing facilities in order to manufacture products in compliance with code requirements and take advantage of the resulting demand for compliant products. We believe that product development, product testing capability and investment in plant and equipment needed to manufacture products in compliance with code requirements, represent a competitive advantage for us.
The economic conditions and remaining outlook for 2023 continue to be uncertain. Forecasted global GDP growth in 2023 is lower than 2022, but still forecasted to be positive and has recently been revised slightly upwards. Non-residential new construction indicators are mixed and may be more resilient, at least through the first half of 2023. High interest rates and inflation have slowed new residential construction and the recent banking crisis may impact credit market conditions resulting in tighter lending which may impact new construction starts. We continue to experience inflation across our cost of materials, labor, and overhead. Despite these anticipated challenges and uncertainties, we continue to invest in our business, including new products, our smart and connected solutions and our growth and productivity initiatives. We remain focused on our customers’ needs and executing on our long-term strategy.
Due to the above circumstances and as described generally in this Form 10-Q, the Company’s results of operations for the first quarter ended March 26, 2023 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full fiscal year. Management cannot predict the full impact of the uncertainties discussed above. For further information regarding the impact of supply chain and logistics disruption risks to the Company, see Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Financial Overview
First quarter 2023 sales increased 1.8%, or $8.5 million, on a reported basis and 3.9%, or $17.9 million, on an organic basis, compared to the first quarter of 2022, primarily driven by organic growth in the Americas and Europe, mostly due to incremental price, partially offset by lower volume. The reported sales increase included the unfavorable impact of foreign exchange of 2.1%, or $9.4 million, primarily driven by the appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the euro and Chinese yuan. Organic sales is a non-GAAP financial measure that excludes the impacts of acquisitions, divestitures and foreign exchange from year-over-year comparisons. Management believes reporting organic sales growth provides useful information to investors, potential investors and others, because it allows for additional insight into underlying sales trends by providing sales growth on a consistent basis. We reconcile the change in organic sales to our reported sales for each region within our results below. Operating income of $84.7 million increased by $13.2 million, or 18.5%, in the first quarter of 2023 as compared to the first quarter of 2022. This increase was primarily driven by incremental price, productivity gains, and cost savings from prior restructuring actions, partially offset by inflation, lower volume and incremental investments.
Recent Developments
On May 2, 2023, we declared a quarterly dividend of thirty-six cents ($0.36) per share on each outstanding share of Class A common stock and Class B common stock payable on June 15, 2023 to stockholders of record on June 1, 2023.