• Skip to main content

    Distributors/Service Centers

    CMC Earnings Improve over Previous Quarter

    Written by Sandy Williams


    Commercial Metals Company (CMC) posted net earnings of $45.9 million on net sales of $1.7 billion for its first quarter of fiscal year 2014 ending on November 30, 2013. This compares with net earnings of $49.7 million on a similar net sale amount of $1.7 billion for the same period in FY 2013. Results included an after-tax gain of $15.5 million from the sale of Howell Metal Company and were negatively impacted by a 2.8 million after-tax LIFO expense. CMC adjusted profits were up significantly from the prior quarter with operating profit at $90 million compared to $37.1 million in Q4 FY 2013.

    CMC’s Americas Recycling segment shipped 559,000 tons of scrap in the first quarter of 2014 as compared to 562,000 tons in the first quarter of 2013. Ferrous selling prices increased 1 percent to $326 per ton but were offset by a 7 percent decline in metal margins along with declines in nonferrous prices and margins on a year-over-year basis. On a quarter-to-quarter basis, selling prices and metal margins improved for both ferrous and non ferrous shipments. Adjusted operating profit was $0.8 million for Q1 FY 2014.

    Latest in Distributors/Service Centers

    SMU Profile: Worthington’s Gilmore speaks on ‘tough’ market, Kloeckner integration

    Worthington Steel Chief Executive Geoff Gilmore said this is the toughest steel market he's seen in his nearly three decades in the industry. Gilmore, president and CEO of Columbus, Ohio-based Worthington Steel, recently spoke to SMU about the progression of the company’s acquisition of Germany-based Kloeckner & Co, as well as trends he’s seeing in the market and in the service center space. “I've been in the business for 28 years, and this is the toughest market that I've encountered,” Gilmore told SMU. He cited factors such as stretched lead times, mill consolidation, maintenance outages, and very limited imports affecting availability.

    SMU Survey: Buyers push price peak expectations later despite competitive imports

    Buyers in SMU’s latest Flat-Rolled Steel Survey increasingly expect hot-rolled (HR) coil prices to keep climbing into year-end and beyond. But competitive import offers have not yet eased concerns about tight availability: most surveyed manufacturers and service centers said foreign suppliers were quoting competitive prices, while many service centers said they were still buying imports to secure additional tons. As of Tuesday, Oct. 27, current spot prices for HR coil range from $1,280 per short ton (st) to $1,330/st, averaging $1,305/st, according to SMU’s market survey. Looking two months ahead, 41% of respondents to our Oct. 28 survey expected HR coil prices to be $1,300-1,349 per short ton (st) in two months, down from 47% in our survey two weeks earlier.

    National Material acquires Arlington Metals, companies see a win-win

    National Material Company has completed its acquisition of Arlington Metals Corp., the companies said in a joint press release. National Materials, a service center based in East Chicago, Ind., said the acquisition of Arlington Metals, a Franklin Park, Ill.-based toll processor, will allow it to serve customers across a broader range of markets and metals. "Arlington Metals is a great fit for us," said Blake Johnson, president of National Material.