Huttig sales rise in poor weather

Huttig Building Products posted solid growth in the first quarter of 2014, with sales increasing nearly 9% over the same period last year. However, the company's net loss widened.

Net sales for the three months ended March 31 were $135.3 million, compared to $124.5 million in 2013.

The net income came in as a loss of $4.0 million, down from a loss of $2.0 million in last year's first quarter.

"Despite a challenging business environment as a result of the unusually poor weather in the first quarter, our financial results from continuing operations continued to improve as we executed on our strategy of delivering profitable sales growth for our shareholders," said Jon Vrabely, Huttig's president and CEO. "We have been, and will continue to reinvest in our business to take advantage of market opportunities and further strengthen our financial performance."

Huttig also noted a $3.1 million charge for environmental liabilities related to a formerly owned property in Montana, which was reflected in discontinued operations.