Simpson rides strength in North America in Q4

Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. had a pretty good fourth quarter and fiscal year, buoyed largely by gains in its North American segment.

Net sales for the three months ended Dec. 31, 2015 were up 10.9% to $184.8 million, compared to $166.6 million in the year-ago period.

That's the end result of a 15.4% net sales increase in North America owing to increased unit sales volumes (though average sales prices, and net sales in Canada, decreased because of foreign currency translations). Net sales in Europe decreased 3.7% owing largely to foreign currency translations.

Additionally,net sales to contractor distributors, dealer distributors, home centers and lumber dealers increased in the fourth quarter of 2015 compared to the fourth quarter of 2014, primarily due to increased home construction activity.

Meanwhile, net income of $14.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2015 compared to $10.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2014.

For the full fiscal year, net sales increased 5.6% to $794.1 million in 2015 from $752.1 million in 2014.

Full-year net income came in at $67.9 million, up from $63.5 million in 2014.