Engineering & Capital Goods News

SIMPSON MANUFACTURING CO., INC. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. (form 10-Q)

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Each of the terms the "Company," "we," "our," "us" and similar terms used herein
refer collectively to Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc., a Delaware corporation,
and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, including Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.,
unless otherwise stated. The Company regularly uses its website to post
information regarding its business and governance. The Company encourages
investors to use http://www.simpsonmfg.com as a source of information about the
Company. The information on our website is not incorporated by reference into
this report or other material we file with or furnish to the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), except as explicitly noted or as required by
law.

The following discussion and analysis provides information which management
believes is relevant to an assessment and understanding of the Company’s
consolidated financial condition and results of operations. This discussion
should be read in conjunction with the accompanying condensed consolidated
financial statements and notes thereto included in this report.


"Strong-Tie" and our other trademarks appearing in this report are our property.
This report contains additional trade names and trademarks of other companies.
We do not intend our use or display of other companies' trade names or
trademarks to imply an endorsement or sponsorship of us by such companies, or
any relationship with any of these companies.

                CAUTIONARY NOTE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A
of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements generally can be
identified by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect,"
"intend," "plan," "target," "continue," "predict," "project," "change,"
"result," "future," "will," "could," "can," "may," "likely," "potentially," or
similar expressions that concern our strategy, plans, expectations or
intentions. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to,
statements about future financial and operating results, our plans, objectives,
business outlook, priorities, expectations and intentions, expectations for
sales and market growth, comparable sales, earnings and performance, stockholder
value, capital expenditures, cash flows, the housing market, the home
improvement industry, demand for services, share repurchases, the integration of
the acquisition of ETANCO, our strategic initiatives, including the impact of
these initiatives, on our strategic and operational plans and financial results,
and any statement of an assumption underlying any of the foregoing and other
statements that are not historical facts. Although we believe that the
expectations, opinions, projections and comments reflected in these
forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and
uncertainties and we can give no assurance that such statements will prove to be
correct. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in
such statements.

Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and
other factors that are difficult to predict and could cause our actual results
to vary in material respects from what we have expressed or implied by these
forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual
results and financial condition to differ materially from those expressed in our
forward looking statements include, among others, the prolonged impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic on our operations and supply chain, the operations of our
customers, suppliers and business partners, and the successful integration of
ETANCO and those discussed under Item 1A. Risk Factors and Item 7. Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.
Additional risks include: the cyclicality and impact of general economic
conditions? changing conditions in global markets including the impact of
sanctions and tariffs, quotas and other trade actions and import restrictions?
the impact of pandemics, epidemics or other public health emergencies? volatile
supply and demand conditions affecting prices and volumes in the markets for
both our products and raw materials we purchase? the impact of foreign currency
fluctuations? potential limitations on our ability to access capital resources
and borrowings under our existing credit agreement; restrictions on our business
and financial covenants under our credit agreement? reliance on employees
subject to collective bargaining agreements; and or ability to repurchase shares
of our common stock and the amounts and timing of repurchases, if any.

We caution that you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date of this report. Except as required
under the federal securities laws or the rules and regulations of the SEC, we
undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement,
whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made
by us in this report and in our other reports filed with the SEC that advise of
the risks and factors that may affect our business.




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Overview

We design, manufacture and sell building construction products that are of high
quality and performance, easy to use and cost-effective for customers. We
operate in three business segments determined by geographic region: North
America
, Europe and Asia/Pacific.

Recent Developments

On April 1, 2022, the Company successfully completed the acquisition of ETANCO,
a manufacturer of fixing and fastener products headquartered in France, for
$805.4 million (730 million euros(1)) net of cash.


ETANCO's primary product applications directly align with the addressable
markets in which the Company operates. Leveraging ETANCO's leading market
position in Europe, following the acquisition, the Company would expand its
portfolio of solutions, including mechanical anchors, fasteners and commercial
building envelope solutions, as well as significantly increase its market
presence across Europe. The acquisition of ETANCO has provided the Company
access into new commercial building markets such as façades, waterproofing,
safety and solar, as well as grow its share of direct business sales in Europe.

Upon announcing the acquisition, the Company expected to realize operating
income synergies of approximately $30.0 million, on an annual run rate basis
following integration efforts. We continue to expect that these synergies will
be achieved through expanding the Company's market share by selling its products
into new markets and channels, incorporating ETANCO's products into the
Company's existing channels, as well as procurement optimization, manufacturing
and operating expense efficiencies. Finally, interest expense has and will
continue to increase as a result of the incurrence of debt to finance the
acquisition of ETANCO.

Since we announced the transaction back in late December, planning for and
initiating the integration of ETANCO has been our primary focus and we believe
it has been progressing according to plan. We assembled a project management
office that includes a leading globally recognized external advisory consulting
group together with a multi-disciplinary team of key management from both
Simpson and ETANCO. Because of our complementary cultures and values, our
combined team has been working extremely well together as we develop detailed
plans for each of our specific integration tracks. We believe our approach has
contributed to a high employee retention rate throughout the transition. After
several months, we have found no material adjustments to our previously
identified synergy opportunities, although the realization of the full amount is
subject to change based on the current environment in Europe. With the
groundwork we have laid so far, we believe we are still well positioned to
capture meaningful benefits from those synergies in the coming years.

At our March 23, 2021 analyst and investor day, we unveiled several key growth
initiatives that we believe will help us continue our track record of achieving
above market revenue growth through a combination of organic and inorganic
opportunities. Our organic opportunities are focused on expansion into new
markets within our core competencies of wood and concrete products. These key
growth initiatives will focus on the original equipment manufacturers, repair
and remodel or do-it-yourself, mass timber, concrete and structural steel
markets.

In order to grow in these markets, we aspire to be among the leaders in
engineered load-rated construction building products and systems and building
technology while leveraging our engineering expertise, deep-rooted relationships
with top builders, engineers, contractors, code officials and distributors,
along with our ongoing commitment to testing, research and innovation.
Importantly, we currently have existing products, testing results, distribution
and manufacturing capabilities for our key growth initiatives. Although these
initiatives are all currently in different stages of development, our successful
growth in these areas will ultimately be a function of expanding our sales
and/or marketing functions to promote our products to different end users and
distribution channels, expanding our customer base, and potentially introducing
new products in the future.

We also highlighted our five-year ambitions during the March 2021 analyst and
investor day, which are as follows:


•Strengthen our values-based culture;
•Be the business partner of choice;
•Strive to be an innovative leader in the markets we operate;
•Continue above market growth relative to the United States housing starts;
•Remain within the top quartile of our proxy peers for operating income margin;
and
•Remain in the top quartile of our proxy peers for return on invested capital.
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We have made progress towards our key growth initiatives since they were first
announced in 2021. Here are a few examples:


•We acquired ETANCO and are already seeing tangible results in our actual
operations, as well as for the future including the use of Simpson and ETANCO
branded commercial concrete products in the construction of certain venues for
the upcoming Olympic games in Paris.
•Realigned our sales teams to more specifically focus on five end use markets -
Residential, Commercial, OEM, National Retail and Building Technology, which has
led to new customer and project wins within five of our key growth initiatives.
•In the OEM market, we were recently awarded the opportunity to supply our
complete wood solutions, including specialty fasteners and other products, for
the construction of custom wood base crates. We accomplished more key project
wins within the Mass Timber space including specifying our products in the
construction of manufacturing facilities in Austria and the state of Washington.
•Within the National Retail market, we focused on growth in the repair and
remodel and do-it-yourself markets by completing a reset of some of our fastener
sets with one of our key customers, and increased our publicity for Outdoor
Accents in both The Home Depot and Lowe's.
•Within the Commercial market, we expanded our offerings, including the
expansion of our structural steel product line and our concrete solutions are
being used in the construction of new graduate housing.
•Within Building Technology market, we updated our customer portal enabling
online ordering of our products. We were selected by a building supply company
based in the Southeast region of the United States to provide their customers
and sales associates with the ability to design decks, pergolas and fences using
Simpson's full Outdoor Living Solutions (OLS) software platform where customers
can obtain a complete bill of materials for purchase at the local store. Our
building technology platform was adopted by a highly regarded regional builder
during the quarter to help them automate workflows, options and automatic
pricing management for broad changes and to transition away from inefficient
paper processes.

As we make progress on our key growth initiatives, we believe we can continue
our above market growth relative to U.S. housing starts in fiscal 2022 and
beyond. These examples further emulate our Founder, Barclay Simpson's, nine
principles of doing business, and more specifically the focus and obsession on
customers and users.

On September 8, 2022, the Company announced that Karen Colonias will step down
from her position as Chief Executive Officer as part of Simpson's planned
leadership succession, effective December 31, 2022. Simpson's Board of Directors
unanimously elected Michael Olosky, 54, current President and Chief Operating
Officer, to succeed Ms. Colonias as Chief Executive Officer, effective January
1, 2023. In connection with his promotion, Mr. Olosky will also join the
Company's board of directors on January 1, 2023. Ms. Colonias will remain
employed as an Executive Advisor to assist with a smooth and orderly transition
until her retirement on June 30, 2023. Ms. Colonias will continue to serve as a
member of Simpson's board of directors until the 2023 annual meeting of
stockholders.

Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations


The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine has severely
affected global economic conditions, resulting in substantial volatility in the
financial markets, increased unemployment, and considerable operational
challenges. The Company's management team continues to monitor and manage its
ability to operate effectively and, to date, the Company has not experienced any
significant disruptions within its supply chain. Our supply chain partners are
supportive, and continue to do their part to ensure that service levels to our
customers remain strong. We will continue to communicate with our supply chain
partners to identify and mitigate risk and to manage inventory levels.

The Company's business, financial condition and results of operations depends in
part on the level of United States, housing starts and residential construction
activity. Though single-family housing starts increased significantly over the
past fifteen months, we have seen demand begin to decline recently due to
supply-chain factors, inflation and interest rate increases affecting new home
starts and completions. However, the Company also supplies product used in
multifamily construction. Multifamily starts are higher this year compared to
last year, which could offset some of the decline in single-family housing
starts. With the addition of ETANCO, we believe net sales will likely increase
during the remainder of fiscal year 2022 even if demand decreases. Increased
product prices are expected to be offset by increasing raw material costs,
sourcing logistics complications and a tight labor market, which could
negatively affect operating margins for 2022.

Management continues to monitor the impact of rising material input and product
logistics costs on the Company's financial condition, liquidity, operations,
suppliers, industry, and workforce.
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Unlike lumber or other products that have a more direct correlation to United
States housing starts, our products are used to a greater extent in areas that
are subject to natural forces, such as seismic or wind events. Our products are
generally used in a sequential progression that follows the construction
process. Residential and commercial construction begins with the foundation,
followed by the wall and the roof systems, and then the installation of our
products, which flow into a project or a house according to these schedules.

In prior years, our sales were heavily seasonal with operating results varying
from quarter to quarter depending on weather conditions that could delay
construction starts. Our sales and income have historically been lower in the
first and fourth quarters than in the second and third quarters of a fiscal
year. Due to efforts in diversifying our global footprint, most notably with our
acquisition of ETANCO, sales from our product line, customer base and customer
purchases are becoming less seasonal. Political and economic events such as
rising energy costs, volatile steel market, stressed product transportation
systems and increasing interest rates can also have an effect on our gross and
operating profits as well as the amount of inventory on-hand. Changes in raw
material cost could negatively affect our gross profit and operating margins
depending on the timing of raw material purchases or how much sales prices can
be increased to offset higher raw material costs. Delays in receiving products
or shipping sales orders, as well as increased transportation costs, could
negatively impact sales and operating profits.

Business Segment Information


Historically our North America segment has generated more revenues from wood
construction products compared to concrete construction products. Our wood
construction product sales increased 32.1% for the quarter ended September 30,
2022 compared to September 30, 2021, and our concrete construction product sales
increased 11.4% over the same periods, due to product price increases throughout
2021 in an effort to offset rising raw material costs. These product price
increases were also the primary contributor to gross profits and operating
profits increasing over the same comparable periods. As a result of the product
price increases phased in during 2021, full phased in product price increases
for 2022 could result in $300.0 million in additional net sales compared to
2021. We currently anticipate gross margin and operating margin compression for
the remainder of fiscal year 2022 compared to 2021 as higher priced raw
materials and rising average cost of steel on hand offset the product price
increases.

During 2022, we have been reviewing the footprint for our U.S. operations with
assistance from a third party. As a result, we identified facility expansions in
the U.S. that we expect will improve our overall service, production
efficiencies and safety in the workplace, as well as reduce our reliance on
certain outsourced, finished goods and component products and continue to ensure
we have ample capacity to meet our customer needs. These investments reinforce
our core business model differentiators to remain the partner of choice as we
continue to produce products locally and ensure superior levels of customer
service. Investments in these expansions have already started this year and will
continue into 2024.

Europe sales increased 104.1% for the quarter ended September 30, 2022 compared
to September 30, 2021, primarily due to the acquisition of ETANCO, which
contributed $67.5 million in net sales, along with product price increases,
offset by lower volumes and the negative effect of approximately $7.9 million in
foreign currency translation due a strengthening United States dollar. Wood
construction product sales increased 103.8% for the quarter ended September 30,
2022 compared to September 30, 2021 with ETANCO contributing $53.7 million in
wood construction product sales. Concrete construction product sales are mostly
project based, and sales increased 105.2% for the quarter ended September 30,
2022 compared to September 30, 2021 with ETANCO contributing $13.8 million in
concrete construction product sales. The Company, including ETANCO, have
suspended all sales and distribution activity to Russia and Belarus. We estimate
annual sales to these countries would have been less than $5.0 million. Europe
gross profit of $39.0 million included $19.4 million from the acquisition of
ETANCO, net of $2.9 million in fair-value adjustments for inventory costs as a
result of purchase accounting, most of which is a non-recurring charge. Europe
reported income from operations of $6.1 million, including ETANCO's operating
income of $1.8 million which was net of $2.9 million in inventory adjustments as
noted above, $4.2 million of amortization expense on acquired intangible assets
and $1.9 million for integration costs for a total of $9.0 million. The Company
expects to incur additional costs in 2022 as it continues to integrate ETANCO
into its European operations. The Company has not achieved significant synergies
from the combination to date. The Company continues to work on integrating
ETANCO into its operations. Plans have been developed to realize the Company's
previously identified synergies in the years ahead which will result in
additional costs in 2022 and 2023. The Company remains well positioned to
capture meaningful benefits from the synergies, subject to changing
macroeconomic circumstances, which will delay some of the synergy opportunities.

Our Asia/Pacific segment has generated revenues from both wood and concrete
construction products. We believe that the Asia/Pacific segment is not
significant to our overall performance.

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Since September 2021, inventory pounds in North America, which is the bulk of
our inventory, increased 3% while the weighted average cost per pound of total
on hand increased approximately 12%. Based on our current expectations, we are
anticipating continued raw material cost pressure for fiscal 2022. As we work
through our on-hand inventory, our costs of goods sold are expected to continue
increasing modestly during the remainder of fiscal year 2022, even if prices for
raw material decline, as the impact from averaging raw material costs typically
lags our product price increases.

Business Outlook


The Company updated its 2022 financial outlook to include the acquisition of
ETANCO, three quarters of actual results, and its latest expectations regarding
demand trends, raw material costs and operating expenses as of October 24, 2022.
Based on business trends and conditions, the Company's current outlook for the
full fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 is as follows:

•Operating margin is expected to be in the range of 20.0% to 21.0%, in-line with
its more recent historical average as the Company has better visibility on raw
material costs and expected results from its acquisition of ETANCO. The revised
outlook includes $16.0 to $18.0 million in expected integration and transaction
costs for the acquisition.

•Interest expense on the outstanding $250.0 million Revolving Credit Facility
and Term Loans, which had initial borrowings of $450.0 million, is expected to
be approximately $9.8 million, including the benefit from interest rate and
cross currency swaps mitigating substantially all of the volatility from changes
in interest rates.

•The effective tax rate is expected to be in the range of 25.0% to 26.0%.

•Capital expenditures are expected to be in the range of $55.0 million to $65.0
million
.

Footnotes

(1) Reflects EUR to USD exchange rate as of April 1, 2022.

Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended September 30, 2022, Compared
with the Three Months Ended September 30, 2021


Unless otherwise stated, the below results, when providing comparisons (which
are generally indicated by words such as "increased," "decreased," "unchanged"
or "compared to"), compare the results of operations for the three months ended
September 30, 2022, against the results of operations for the three months ended
September 30, 2021. Unless otherwise stated, the results announced below, when
referencing "both quarters," refer to the three months ended September 30, 2021
and the three months ended September 30, 2022.

Beginning in 2022, the Company changed its presentation for both the North
America and the Administrative and all other segment's statement of operations
to display allocated expenses and management fees as a separate item below
income from operations. During 2021, allocated expenses and management fees
between the two segments were previously included in gross profit, operating
expenses and in income from operations and have been adjusted herein to conform
to the 2022 presentation. Consolidated income from operations, income before tax
and net income for all periods presented below are not affected by the change in
presentation

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Third Quarter 2022 Consolidated Financial Highlights


The following table shows the change in the Company's operations from the three
months ended September 30, 2021 to the three months ended September 30, 2022,
and the increases or decreases for each category by segment:

                                                  Three Months                                                                   Three Months
                                                      Ended                 Increase (Decrease) in Operating Segment                 Ended
                                                  September 30,           North                           Asia/       Admin &    September 30,
(in thousands)                                        2021               America             Europe      Pacific     All Other       2022
Net sales                                         $  396,738    $     99,179               $ 57,071    $    674    $        -    $  553,662
Cost of sales                                        198,706          67,487                 42,536         411            (1)      309,139
Gross profit                                         198,032          31,692                 14,535         263             1       244,523
Research and development and other engineering
expense                                               14,562           2,080                    386          56             -        17,084
Selling expense                                       35,063           2,921                  4,427         128             -        42,539
General and administrative expense                    47,792            (343)                 9,251         172         3,447        60,319
Total operating expenses                              97,417           4,658                 14,064         356         3,447       119,942
Acquisition and integration related costs                  -               -                  1,866           -             -         1,866
Net loss (gain) on disposal of assets                     (4)            (56)                   (27)        (14)            1          (100)
Income from operations                               100,619          27,090                 (1,368)        (79)       (3,447)      122,815

Interest income (expense), net and other                (314)            730                 (2,637)          1          (763)       (2,983)

Other & foreign exchange loss, net                      (532)         (7,925)                   205         512         6,033        (1,707)
Income (loss) before income taxes                     99,773          19,895                 (3,800)        434         1,823       118,125
Provision for income taxes                            25,995           5,119                    502         106        (1,840)       29,882
Net income (loss)                                 $   73,778    $     14,776               $ (4,302)   $    328    $    3,663    $   88,243



Net sales increased 39.6% to $553.7 million from $396.7 million primarily driven
by the four product price increases we implemented in 2021 to offset rising raw
material costs, and the acquisition of ETANCO which contributed $67.5 million in
net sales. Wood construction product sales, including sales of connectors, truss
plates, fastening systems, fasteners and shearwalls, represented 86% and 85% of
the Company's total sales in both the third quarters of 2022 and 2021,
respectively. Concrete construction product sales, including sales of adhesives,
chemicals, mechanical anchors, powder actuated tools and reinforcing fiber
materials, represented 14% and 15% of the Company's total sales in both the
third quarters of 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Gross profit increased 23.5% to $244.5 million from $198.0 million. Gross
margins decreased to 44.2% from 49.9%, primarily due to the acquisition of
ETANCO, which in general has a lower gross margin profile relative to the
Company but also includes $2.9 million of non-recurring inventory fair value
step-up costs, as well as higher raw material costs for the Company overall.
Gross margins decreased to 44.2% from 50.2% for wood construction products and
decreased to 43.8% from 44.6% for concrete construction products, respectively.

Research and development and engineering expense increased 17.3% to $17.1
million
from $14.6 million, primarily due to increases of $1.6 million in
personnel costs, and $1.2 million in professional services offset by decrease of
$0.3 million for cash profit sharing expenses.

Selling expense increased 21.3% to $42.5 million from $35.1 million, primarily
due to increases of $5.3 million in personnel costs, $1.2 million in travel
related costs, and $0.7 million in professional fees, and $0.4 million in
advertising & trade shows offset by a decrease of $1.1 million in commissions.


General and administrative expense increased 26.2% to $60.3 million from $47.8
million, primarily due to increases of $4.3 million in depreciation and
amortization, $2.5 million in professional and legal fees, $2.2 million in
personnel costs, $1.6 million in computer/software expenses, $0.9 million in
travel related costs, $0.7 million in lower software development expenses
capitalized, and $0.3 million in stock compensation expense, offset by a
decrease of $0.9 million in cash profit sharing expense.

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Our effective income tax rate decreased to 25.3% from 26.1%.


Consolidated net income was $88.2 million, which includes a $1.8 million loss
from ETANCO, compared to $73.8 million. Diluted earnings per share was $2.06
compared to $1.70.

Net sales

The following table shows net sales by segment for the three months ended
September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively:

                         North                         Asia/
(in thousands)          America         Europe        Pacific         Total
Three months ended
September 30, 2021    $ 338,591       $ 54,832       $ 3,315       $ 396,738
September 30, 2022      437,770        111,903         3,989         553,662
Increase              $  99,179       $ 57,071       $   674       $ 156,924
Percentage increase        29.3  %       104.1  %       20.3  %         39.6  %


The following table shows segment net sales as percentages of total net sales
for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively:



                                         North                    Asia/
                                        America      Europe      Pacific    

Total

Percentage of total 2021 net sales 85 % 14 % 1 %

   100  %
Percentage of total 2022 net sales         79  %       20  %         1  %     100  %



Gross profit

The following table shows gross profit by segment for the three months ended
September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively:


                        North                      Asia/        Admin &
(in thousands)         America       Europe       Pacific      All Other       Total
Three months ended
September 30, 2021     $176,256      $20,680      $1,139         $(43)        $198,032
September 30, 2022     207,948       35,215        1,402         (42)         244,523
Increase               $31,692       $14,535       $263           $1          $46,491
Percentage Increase      18.0  %      70.3  %            *              *       23.5  %


* The statistic is not meaningful or material.

The following table shows gross margin by segment for the three months ended
September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively:


                                   North                    Asia/        Admin &
                                  America      Europe      Pacific      All Other      Total
2021 gross margin percentage       52.1  %     37.7  %      34.4  %              *     49.9  %
2022 gross margin percentage       47.5  %     31.5  %      35.1  %              *     44.2  %


* The statistic is not meaningful or material.

North America

•Net sales increased 29.3%, primarily due to product price increases we
implemented last year, along with higher sales volumes.

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•Gross margin decreased to 47.5% from 52.1%, primarily due to higher raw
material, factory and overhead and labor costs, each as a percentage of net
sales, which were partially offset by the product price increases we implemented
in 2021.


•Research, development and engineering expenses increased 15.3%, primarily due
to increases of $1.4 million in professional fees, and $0.9 million in personnel
costs, offset by $0.5 million higher software development expenses capitalized.

•Selling expense increased 10.1%, primarily due to increases of $2.0 million in
personnel costs, $0.9 million in travel-associated expenses, $0.6 million in
professional fees, and $0.5 million in advertising & trade show costs, offset by
a decrease $1.0 million in sales commissions.

•General and administrative expense decreased 1.0%, primarily due to decreases
of $2.9 million professional fees, $0.8 million for cash profit sharing expense
and $0.8 million in depreciation/amortization expenses offset by increases of
$1.5 million in computer/software expenses, $0.7 million in personnel costs,
$0.7 million in travel rated costs, $0.5 million in rent expense and $0.5
million in lower software development expenses capitalized.

•Income from operations increased by $27.1 million. The increase was primarily
due to higher gross profit, partly offset by higher operating expenses.

Europe


•Net sales increased 104.1%, primarily due to the acquisition of ETANCO, which
contributed $67.5 million in net sales and to a lesser extent, price increases
intended to offset higher material costs abroad. Europe's volumes without ETANCO
were down compared to the prior year quarter and the negative effect of
approximately $7.9 million in foreign currency translation.

•Gross margin decreased to 31.5% from 37.7%. Europe gross profit of $35.2
million included $19.4 million from the acquisition of ETANCO, which is net of a
$2.9 million non-recurring fair-value adjustment for inventory costs as a result
of purchase accounting. This adjustment was a factor as to why gross margins
declined in Europe

•Income from operations decreased by $1.4 million. This includes ETANCO’s
operating loss of $1.8 million which is net of $2.9 million non-recurring
fair-value inventory adjustment, $4.2 million of amortization expense on
acquired intangible assets; and $1.9 million in integration costs for a total of
$9.0 million. The Company expects to incur additional costs in 2022 as it
continues to integrate ETANCO into its European operations. The Company
benefitted to some extent from synergies from the combination.

Asia/Pacific


•For information about the Company's Asia/Pacific segment, please refer to the
tables above setting forth changes in our operating results for the three months
ended September 30, 2022 and 2021.


Results of Operations for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022, Compared
with the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021


Unless otherwise stated, the results announced below, when providing comparisons
(which are generally indicated by words such as "increased," "decreased,"
"unchanged" or "compared to"), compare the results of operations for the nine
months ended September 30, 2022, against the results of operations for the nine
months ended September 30, 2021. Unless otherwise stated, the results announced
below, when referencing "both periods," refer to the nine months ended
September 30, 2021 and the nine months ended September 30, 2022

Beginning in 2022, the Company changed its presentation for both the North
America
and the Administrative and all other segment’s statement of operations
to display allocated expenses and management fees as a separate item below
income from

                                       34

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operations. During 2021, allocated expenses and management fees between the two
segments were previously included in gross profit, operating expenses and in
income from operations and have been adjusted herein to conform to the 2022
presentation. Consolidated income from operations, income before tax and net
income for all periods presented below are not affected by the change in
presentation.

Year-to-Date (9-month) 2022 Consolidated Financial Highlights


The following table illustrates the differences in our operating results for the
nine months ended September 30, 2022, from the nine months ended September 30,
2021, and the increases or decreases for each category by segment:


                                                 Nine Months                                                                                                Nine Months
                                                    Ended                               Increase (Decrease) in Operating Segment                               Ended
                                                September 30,                North                                     Asia/             Admin &           September 30,
(in thousands)                                      2021                    America                  Europe           Pacific           All Other              2022
Net sales                                      $  1,154,661          $    343,200                 $ 141,025          $ 1,578          $        -          $  1,640,464
Cost of sales                                       597,901               195,104                   105,562            1,220                  41               899,828
Gross profit                                        556,760               148,096                    35,463              358                 (42)              740,636
Research and development and other engineering
expense                                              43,321                 5,975                       502               94                   -                49,892
Selling expense                                      99,053                13,765                    11,381              236                  14               124,449
General and administrative expense                  143,767                 2,523                    15,352               15              10,854               172,511
                                                    286,141                22,263                    27,235              345              10,868               346,852
Acquisition and integration related costs                 -                     -                    14,681                -                   -       

14,681

Net gain on disposal of assets                         (112)                  (59)                   (1,111)              55                   -        

(1,227)

Income (loss) from operations                       270,731               125,892                    (5,342)             (42)            (10,910)     

380,330

Interest income (expense), net and other             (1,079)                  755                    (6,190)              (5)                (49)       

(6,568)

Other & foreign exchange loss, net                   (4,180)              (15,083)                   (1,038)           1,387              15,100      

(3,814)

Income (loss) before income taxes                   265,472     -         111,564            -      (12,570)           1,340     -         4,141      

369,948

Provision for income taxes                           68,822                28,719                    (3,747)             482                (717)               93,559
Net income                                     $    196,650          $     82,845                 $  (8,823)         $   858          $    4,858          $    276,389



Net sales increased 42.1% to $1,640.5 million from $1,154.7 million driven by
the four product price increases that were implemented in 2021 to offset rising
raw material costs, and the acquisition of ETANCO which contributed $147.8
million in net sales. Wood construction product sales, including sales of
connectors, truss plates, fastening systems, fasteners and shearwalls,
represented 87% of the Company's total sales in the first nine months of 2022
and 2021. Concrete construction product sales, including sales of adhesives,
chemicals, mechanical anchors, powder actuated tools and reinforcing fiber
materials, represented 13% of the Company's total sales in the first nine months
of 2022 and 2021.

Gross profit increased 33.0% to $740.6 million from $556.8 million. Gross
margins decreased to 45.1% from 48.2%, primarily due to the acquisition of
ETANCO, which in general has a lower gross margin profile relative to the
Company but also includes $12.2 million of non-recurring inventory fair value
step-up costs, as well as higher raw material costs for the Company overall.
Gross margins decreased to 45.2% from 48.1% for wood construction products and
decreased to 44.5% from 45.0% for concrete construction products.

Research and development and engineering expense increased 15.2% to $49.9
million
from $43.3 million primarily due to increases of $5.2 million in
personnel costs, and $2.7 million in professional fees offset by $1.9 million
higher software development expenses capitalized.


Selling expense increased to $124.4 million from $99.1 million, primarily due to
increases of $14.2 million in personnel costs, $5.3 million in travel related
costs, $3.2 million in advertising & trade shows, $1.5 million in professional
fees, and $0.7 million cash profit sharing expense offset by $2.3 million in
lower commissions. These increases above were mainly due to the ETANCO
acquisition that added $12.7 million in selling expenses.

                                       35

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General and administrative expense increased to $172.5 million from $143.8
million, primarily due to increases of $7.7 million in depreciation and
amortization expenses, $7.2 million in personnel costs, $6.7 million in
professional and legal fees, $2.7 million in computer/software expenses, and
$2.5 million in travel related costs, and $0.6 million in lower software
development expenses capitalized, offset by decreases of $1.5 million in
stock-based compensation, $1.2 million in cash profit sharing expenses. These
increases above were mainly due to the ETANCO acquisition that added $17.0
million in general and administrative expenses.

Our effective income tax rate decreased to 25.3% from 25.9%.

Consolidated net income was $276.4 million compared to $196.7 million. Diluted
earnings per share was $6.40 compared to $4.52.

Net sales

The following table represents net sales by segment for the nine-month periods
ended September 30, 2021 and 2022:

                          North                          Asia/
(in thousands)           America          Europe        Pacific          Total
Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2021    $  989,711       $ 155,567       $ 9,383       $ 1,154,661
September 30, 2022     1,332,911         296,592        10,961         1,640,464
Increase              $  343,200       $ 141,025       $ 1,578       $   485,803
Percentage increase         34.7  %         90.7  %       16.8  %           42.1  %


The following table represents segment sales as percentages of total net sales
for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2021 and 2022, respectively:


                                         North                    Asia/
                                        America      Europe      Pacific    

Total

Percentage of total 2021 net sales 86 % 14 % 1 %

   100  %
Percentage of total 2022 net sales         81  %       18  %         1  %     100  %



Gross profit

The following table represents gross profit by segment for the nine-month
periods ended September 30, 2021 and 2022:

                         North                         Asia/        Admin &
(in thousands)          America         Europe        Pacific      All Other         Total
Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2021    $ 497,070       $ 56,228       $ 3,590      $     (128)     $ 556,760
September 30, 2022      645,166         91,691         3,948            (169)       740,636
Increase (decrease)   $ 148,096       $ 35,463       $   358      $      (41)     $ 183,876
Percentage increase        29.8  %        63.1  %            *               *         33.0  %


* The statistic is not meaningful or material

The following table represents gross margin by segment for the nine-month
periods ended September 30, 2021 and 2022:


                                   North                    Asia/        Admin &
(in thousand)                     America      Europe      Pacific      All Other      Total
2021 gross margin percentage       50.2  %     36.1  %      38.3  %              *     48.2  %
2022 gross margin percentage       48.4  %     30.9  %      36.0  %              *     45.1  %


* The statistic is not meaningful or material.

                                       36

——————————————————————————–

North America

•Net sales increased 34.7%, primarily due to product price increases we
implemented last year, along with slightly higher sales volumes.


•Gross margin decreased slightly to 48.4% from 50.2%, due to higher raw material
costs as a percentage of net sales, which were partially offset by the product
price increases we implemented in 2021.

•Research and development and engineering expense increased 15.0%, primarily due
to increases of $3.6 million in personnel costs, $3.0 million in professional
fees and $0.7 million in travel rated costs, offset by $1.8 million higher
software development expenses capitalized and decrease of $0.3 million in cash
profit sharing expense.

•Selling expense increased17.0%, primarily due to increases of $5.7 million in
personnel costs, $4.8 million in travel related costs, $3.1 million in
advertising & trade show costs, $1.0 million in professional fees, $0.4 million
in cash profit sharing expenses, and $0.4 million in professional fees, partly
offset by decreases of $1.9 million in sales commissions.

•General and administrative expense increased 2.5%, primarily due to increases
of $3.4 million in personnel costs, $2.1 million in computer/software expenses,
$1.6 in travel related costs, and $1.0 million of bad debt expense, offset by
decreases of $8.7 million of professional fees, $1.0 million cash profit sharing
expense, $0.9 million in depreciation and amortization expenses, and $0.4
million in stock-based compensation.

•Income from operations increased $125.9 million, mostly due to increased sales
and gross profit, partly offset by higher operating expenses.

Europe


•Net sales increased 90.7%, primarily due to the acquisition of ETANCO, which
contributed $147.8 million in net sales along with product price increases,
offset by the negative effect of approximately $18.1 million in foreign currency
translation.

•Gross margin decreased to 30.9% from 36.1% while gross profit increased $35.5
million. Europe gross profit included $38.6 million from the acquisition of
ETANCO, which includes $12.2 million non-recurring fair-value adjustment for
inventory costs as a result of purchase accounting.

•Income from operations decreased $5.3 million, primarily due to $7.0 million in
professional fees incurred prior to the acquisition of ETANCO. Included in
income from operations was ETANCO's profit of $0.2 million which included $12.2
million in inventory adjustments, $8.4 million of amortization expense on
acquired intangible assets, and $7.7 million for integration costs for a total
of $28.3 million.

Asia/Pacific

•For information about the Company's Asia/Pacific segment, please refer to the
tables above setting forth changes in our operating results for the nine months
ended September 30, 2022 and 2021.


Effect of New Accounting Standards

See “Note 1 Basis of Presentation – Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted ” to
the accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements.

Liquidity and Sources of Capital

We have historically met our capital needs through a combination of cash flows
from operating activities and, when necessary, borrowings under our credit
agreements.

                                       37

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Our principal uses of capital include the costs and expenses associated with our
operations, including financing working capital requirements and continuing our
capital allocation strategy, which includes supporting capital expenditures,
paying cash dividends, repurchasing the Company's common stock, and financing
other investment opportunities over the next twelve months. On March 30, 2022,
the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, which
provides for a 5-year revolving credit facility of $450.0 million, and for a
5-year term loan facility of $450.0 million. The Company borrowed $250.0
million, under the revolving credit facility and $450.0 million under the term
loan facility to finance a portion of the purchase price of the Company's
acquisition of ETANCO. We believe that our cash position, cash flows from
operating activities and our expectation of continuing availability to draw upon
our credit facilities are sufficient to meet our cash flow needs for the
foreseeable future.

As of September 30, 2022, our cash and cash equivalents consisted of deposits
and money market funds held with established national financial institutions.
Cash and cash equivalents of $74.0 million are held in the local currencies of
our foreign operations and could be subject to additional taxation if
repatriated to the United States. The Company is maintaining a permanent
reinvestment assertion on its foreign earnings relative to remaining cash held
outside the United States.

The following table shows selected financial information as of September 30,
2022
, December 31, 2021 and September 30, 2021, respectively:

                                       At September 30,      At December 31,     At September 30,
 (in thousands)                              2022                 2021                 2021

 Cash and cash equivalents             $       309,262      $       301,155      $       294,180
 Property, plant and equipment, net            341,233              259,869              255,547

Goodwill, intangible assets and

 other                                         798,523              170,309              165,577

Working capital less cash and cash

 equivalents                                   576,719              453,078              409,997


The following table provides cash flow indicators for the nine-month periods
ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively:


                                                  Nine Months Ended 

September 30,

    (in thousands)                                      2022                     2021
    Net cash provided by (used in):
     Operating activities                  $        263,396                   $ 122,098
     Investing activities                          (845,514)                    (41,200)
     Financing activities                           586,449                     (61,258)



Cash flows from operating activities result primarily from our earnings, and are
also affected by changes in operating assets and liabilities which consist
primarily of working capital balances. Our revenues are derived from
manufacturing and sales of building construction materials. Our operating cash
flows are subject to seasonality and are cyclically associated with the volume
and timing of construction project starts. For example, trade accounts
receivable is generally at its lowest at the end of the fourth quarter and
increases during the first, second and third quarters.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, operating activities provided
$263.4 million in cash and cash equivalents, as a result of $276.4 million from
net income and $62.6 million from non-cash expenses from net income, which
included depreciation and amortization expense, stock-based compensation expense
and the inventory fair value expense adjustment. Cash provided from net income
was partly offset by a decrease of $75.6 million in the net change in operating
assets and liabilities, including increases of $55.0 million in trade accounts
receivable, $27.7 million in inventory and $17.4 million in other non-current
assets and liabilities, partly offset by an increase of $25.3 million in other
current liabilities.

Cash used in investing activities of $845.5 million during the nine months ended
September 30, 2022 was mainly for the $805.4 million acquisition of ETANCO. Our
capital spending for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and September 30,
2021 was $41.6 million and $31.3 million, respectively, which was primarily used
for a land purchase, machinery and equipment purchases and software in
development. Based on current information and subject to future events and
circumstances, total approved capital spending for 2022, will be in the
$55.0 million to $65.0 million range compared to the previous estimate of $80.0
to $90.0 million, primarily due to long lead times on equipment orders. Other
capital spending is earmarked for both maintenance and growth to maximize
efficiencies and invest in our key initiatives.
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Cash provided by financing activities of $586.4 million during the nine months
ended September 30, 2022 consisted primarily of $694.0 million in loan proceeds
(net of principal payments) used for the acquisition of ETANCO, offset by $74.6
million used to repurchase 763,530 shares of the Company's common stock at an
average price of $97.65 per share and $32.8 million used to pay dividends to our
stockholders.

On October 21, 2022, the Company's Board of Directors (the "Board") declared a
quarterly cash dividend of $0.26 per share payable on January 26, 2023, to the
Company's stockholders of record on January 5, 2023.

Since the beginning of 2019 to the quarter ended September 30, 2022, we have
returned $390.8 million to stockholders, which represents 59.1% of our free cash
flow and includes the repurchasing of over 3.0 million shares of the Company's
common stock, which represents approximately 6.7% of the outstanding shares of
the Company's common stock at the start of 2019. During 2022, after the
acquisition of ETANCO, we changed our capital return target to 35% of our free
cash flow from 50%.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as of September 30, 2022.

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