discuss you, Thank I'm results Karen, and good quarter you our everyone. fourth today. to afternoon, with pleased financial
XXXX. Before and I'd fourth in stated will my XXXX comparisons financial otherwise versus quarter the of like begin the be unless fourth of today quarter mention that to prepared all will comparisons I to be all year-over-year remarks referring measures discussed
to million. our X.X% turning to sales strong $XXX.X results. Now, were Total increasing net
sales America average higher segment up product the and $XXX.X net to Within volume to due prices. million XX% both sales were North increased
And million resulting of foreign construction sales decreased net XX%. due of In mainly sales XX% were concrete United sales Europe compared to the translations to for the total the products construction currency quarter XX%. sales only of net Europe XX% against In net to currencies X% Wood down slightly total $XX.X products impact negative States represented represented Europe local to from dollar. currency net weakening compared
Gross XX% profit of to million gross $XXX.X margin increased in by XX.X%. a resulting
by lower increased basis production, material factory and to due with points margin XXX along slight on overhead decrease primarily costs. in gross Our increased a raw costs
improved in to basis, our XX.X%. compared a XX.X% margin On gross to segment America North
declined our XX.X% products Europe XX.X%. versus XX.X%. XX.X% our compared perspective, a While From in to product gross wood on to margin to decreased margin slightly gross
products we factory gross August benefited lower implemented costs. products of concrete the increased material a US. However, and margin certain XX.X% as costs in and to of XX.X% on to as from in lower tooling substantially price extent, our lesser a to impact labor gross increase due concrete well To primarily the compared our margin
expenses. due Selling general and increased costs. to primarily our to costs development and higher to $XX.X quarter due employees increased XX% to due X% to X% million, $XX.X and turning promotional Now R&D. advertising million operating and to from the and Research personnel partially million, expenses of engineering fourth into increased expenses $XX.X personnel, costs expenses to primarily increased shift administrative
XXXX, $XX.X million and On and XX% due in due partially selling expenses and offset the as primarily were and legal to administrative higher X% legal of reduction a to including decreases decreased pending in America well reduced North were a a segment they as amortization XX% in increased Europe expenses settlement bad professional advertising fees, and in promotions. expense. General matter basis expenses debt to primarily These reserves. personnel up by
expenses XX%. On XX%. In decreased America G&A North general administrative and in decreased level, a segment by Europe
highlighted operating the X.X%. we've been $XX.X with our As as pleased expenses seeing continued we're Karen the were approximately control. a progress decrease cost or $X.X million, million Total of on focus result of
basis expenses improvement of operating last As to XXX compared a an percentage net XX.X% points XX.X%, of total sales, were year.
prior $XX.X million XX, million were expenses of Since quarter. $XX.X December $X.X costs compared fourth in the year inception capitalized costs with project the our in SAP operating the SAP to we've support quarter $XX.X of million expense in and the total Included million XXXX. associated and as of project's implementation
quarter more we operations $XX.X As selling them. million. million versus on primarily fourth expensing the gain increased XXXX operations implementation, are sale the from a we've of of of further included compared and facility. into to progressed XX% SAP to Income $XX.X distribution for the $X.X our Income million now from a capitalizing costs
$X.X income from $X.X quarter Europe an of included XXXX, impairment goodwill gain million well a operations In as as the sale of a to the fourth a of segment. charge facility on related million
million XXX% In from impairment Europe operations goodwill Europe, due In $X.X included sales, facility. North $XX.X was loss operating from the XXXX, $X.X of million the fourth net quarter charge. operations expenses of million. million America, increased a loss lower to and the was which sale aforementioned higher income $X.X from In to operations the
to a to or tax million $XX.X consolidated to or XX.X% decreased increased income a per compared by The approximately net $XX.X XX.X%. from fully points diluted And operating million effective rate totaled XX.X%. result, fully income our $X.XX XXX per $X.XX as share. share On diluted basis, basis margin
sheet XXXX. leases. December amount small a Now We $XX our capital to remain were at At levels to million of XX, million, balance an compared our turning and equivalents cash XXXX, only XX, $XXX.X with December cash and flow. increase debt-free cash of
$XX.X of As for capital management, of million operations and an working generated a result XXXX, effective quarter flow of our cash increase improved X%. profitability the fourth we from of
For XXXX. XX% million generated which increased year million nearly of from compared operations we flow the to full XXXX, $XXX.X in or cash $XX.X
Our quarter included were $X.X SAP million, minimal which a expenditures amount capital from project. approximately our implementation fourth ongoing
year For with XXXX, $XX.X of million, in full expenditures our the were line capital expectations. approximately
to that have from share then, repurchases and our stockholders, threshold. minimum since of on we from As our our over cash basis stated operations mid-XXXX, annual returned been stockholders we in XX% dividends. have the Since flow flow have committed to cash XX% returning operations of we exceeding of far a to an of form
$XX.X including have quarter. in In to million the we million pleased were paid $XX.X dividends, XXXX in fourth specifically,
for price share we we average of our the of XXXX of XXX,XXX shares This average repurchased total million. an for quarter repurchased of of XXX,XXX during total $X.X a in common per $XX.X shares price $XX.XX approximately XXXX share that of addition, In $XX.XX million. fourth a an per stock includes at at
of into January stock on our December our through As up which repurchases expired and X, directors went repurchase stock authorized on board our $XXX common to common year runs million XXXX. XXXX, for X, the December XX, authorization end, of of at of effect
as our will per In payable addition, XXXX. XXXX, dividend quarterly be record to $X.XX April XX, I’m of on share. board of XX, dividend that also announce April stockholders directors on to cash of January of pleased X, The a XXXX, declared
Finally financial I'd our like outlook. discuss to XXXX
of to be XX, $XX is housing the year to range be be $XX the of taxes; million income of million expenditures are XX.X%, in guidance range $XX ending amortization expectations material state margin our to which range million which we and XX%, depreciation to expenses the of December $XX CapEx. to million, in both for and XX%, range of costs We follows; federal tax fixed $XX for to to of current to assets; effective XX.X% rate profit in XXXX, a will regarding For million $XX the the maintenance including in XX% our depreciation be capital as be expect consolidated and starts; including used given to million approximately the gross full initiating in
our value efficient proposition all and we the summary, financial believe position for progress operations made and through long for XXXX through We strongly in Simpson significant growth. to towards in the sustainable will objectives strategic, enhanced XXXX term In value of more execution efforts stakeholders. our benefit on deliver our of even our company help key believe plan our operational
Thank your today. you time and attention for
Now, back I'd like to to closing turn remarks. the call for Karen