MEDINA, OH -- RPM International Inc. has reported higher net income for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended May 31, 2009. Fiscal 2008 net income included a one-time pre-tax charge of $288.1 million in the fourth quarter to increase the company's accrual for asbestos-related liabilities, while the fiscal 2009 fourth quarter and year included a one-time charge of $15.5 million for goodwill and other intangible asset impairments in the company's industrial segment. Excluding these one-time charges, fiscal 2009 net income declined for both the quarter and full year. Sales also declined for both the fourth quarter and fiscal year.

 

Sales for the quarter fell 20.3 percent to $857.3 million from $1.08 billion in the 2008 fourth quarter, with the company's industrial and consumer segments both reporting lower results.

 

Fourth-quarter net income was $39.3 million, or $0.31 per diluted share, compared to a year-ago loss of $87.6 million, or $0.73 per diluted share, as a result of the one-time fiscal 2008 charge. Excluding asbestos and impairment-related charges, fiscal 2009 fourth-quarter net income declined 44 percent to $54.6 million, or $0.43 per diluted share, from the $97.5 million, or $0.75 per diluted share, earned a year ago.

 

Fiscal 2009 sales fell 7.6 percent to $3.37 billion from $3.64 billion a year ago. Net income was $119.6 million, or $0.93 per diluted share, compared to $47.7 million, or $0.39 per diluted share in fiscal 2008. Excluding one-time asbestos and impairment-related charges, RPM's fiscal 2009 net income fell 42.1 percent to $134.9 million, or $1.05 per diluted share, from the $232.8 million, or $1.81 per diluted share, earned a year ago.

 

Looking forward, Frank C. Sullivan, Chairman and CEO, commented, "Our outlook has improved since we first provided guidance for our 2010 fiscal year in April. Our consumer businesses have turned the corner in this difficult economy. With housing turnover, the sale of foreclosed homes and new home construction beginning to show improvement on a region-by-region basis, we are seeing an uptick in the sale of small project redecoration, patch-and-repair and weatherization products. This, along with the aggressive expense reduction actions taken during the past fiscal year, will enable our consumer businesses to generate consistent earnings growth throughout the year with a modest increase in sales.

 

"We expect a recovery in our industrial markets sometime in the spring of 2010. Depending on the timing of the expected industrial market turnaround, we expect earnings per share for RPM to grow in the range of 5 percent to 25 percent on a consolidated basis for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2010, from the adjusted $1.05 per diluted share earned in fiscal 2009.”