Boise Cascade Company Reports First Quarter 2024 Results

Boise Cascade Company (“Boise Cascade,” the “Company,” “we,” or “our”) reported net income of $104.1 million, or $2.61 per share, on sales of $1.6 billion for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024, compared with net income of $96.7 million, or $2.43 per share, on sales of $1.5 billion for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023.

“I am pleased with the strong financial results that our team delivered during the first quarter. As expected, it was a period influenced by seasonal factors and the relative strength of new single-family starts,” stated Nate Jorgensen, CEO. “As we enter the second quarter, economic and geopolitical uncertainties are prevalent, and the extent of the potential impact on the broader economy and residential construction activity is unknown. Despite the near-term environment, an undersupply of single-family homes remains, and I have great confidence in our team as we stay focused on the effective deployment of our outstanding balance sheet in support of our stakeholders.”

First Quarter 2024 Highlights

In first quarter 2024, total U.S. housing starts and single-family housing starts increased 1% and 27%, respectively, compared to the same period in 2023. Single-family housing starts are the key demand driver for our sales.

Wood Products

Wood Products’ sales, including sales to Building Materials Distribution (BMD), increased $31.5 million, or 7%, to $468.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024, from $437.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023. The increase in sales was driven by higher sales volumes for I-joists and LVL (collectively referred to as EWP), as well as higher plywood sales prices. These increases were offset partially by decreased sales prices for EWP, as well as lower plywood sales volumes and other sales related to residual byproducts and lumber. Wood Products’ segment income increased $1.8 million to $71.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024, from $69.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023. The increase in segment income was due primarily to higher EWP sales volumes and higher plywood sales prices. These increases in segment income were offset partially by lower EWP prices and higher wood fiber costs.

Building Materials Distribution

BMD’s sales increased $125.8 million, or 9%, to $1,505.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024, from $1,379.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023. Compared with the same quarter in the prior year, the increase in sales was driven by sales volume increases of 12%, offset partially by sales price decreases of 3%. By product line, commodity sales increased 1%, general line product sales increased 16%, and EWP sales (substantially all of which are sourced through our Wood Products segment) increased 12%. BMD segment income increased $2.8 million to $72.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024, from $69.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023. The increase in segment income was driven by a gross margin increase of $22.9 million, resulting primarily from higher sales volumes and improved margins on general line and commodity products. The gross margin improvement was offset partially by increased selling and distribution expenses and depreciation and amortization expense of $16.5 million and $4.0 million, respectively.

Balance Sheet and Liquidity

Boise Cascade ended first quarter 2024 with $890.2 million of cash and cash equivalents and $395.7 million of undrawn committed bank line availability, for total available liquidity of $1,286.0 million. The Company had $445.5 million of outstanding debt at March 31, 2024.

Capital Allocation

We expect capital expenditures in 2024, excluding potential acquisition spending, to total approximately $250 million to $270 million.

On May 2, 2024, our board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share on our common stock, payable on June 17, 2024, to stockholders of record on June 3, 2024.

For the three months ended March 31, 2024, the Company paid $27.0 million for the repurchase of 205,938 shares of our common stock. As of March 31, 2024, approximately 1.7 million shares were available for repurchase under our existing share repurchase program.

Outlook

Demand for the products we manufacture, as well as the products we purchase and distribute, is correlated with new residential construction, residential repair-and-remodeling activity and light commercial construction. Residential construction, particularly new single-family construction, is the key demand driver for the products we manufacture and distribute. Current industry forecasts for 2024 U.S. housing starts are generally consistent with actual housing starts of 1.42 million in 2023, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. Home affordability remains a challenge for many consumers due to the cost of housing combined with elevated mortgage rates. However, with low unemployment and an undersupply of existing housing stock available for sale, new residential construction is expected to remain an important source of supply for homebuyers. Recent pressures on multi-family starts are expected to continue due to increased capital costs for developers combined with cooling rents and elevated supply. Regarding home improvement spending, the age of U.S. housing stock and elevated levels of homeowner equity have provided a favorable backdrop for repair-and-remodel spending. In 2023, year-over-year growth rates in renovation spending moderated due to economic uncertainty and higher borrowing costs. While home improvement spending is expected to remain healthy compared to history, recent industry forecasts project mid-single-digit declines in 2024. Ultimately, macroeconomic factors, the level and expectations for mortgage rates, home affordability, home equity levels, and other factors will likely influence the near-term demand environment for the products we manufacture and distribute.

As a manufacturer of certain commodity products, we have sales and profitability exposure to declines in commodity product prices and rising input costs. Our distribution business purchases and resells a broad mix of products with periods of increasing prices providing the opportunity for higher sales and increased margins, while declining price environments expose us to declines in sales and profitability. Future product pricing, particularly commodity products pricing and input costs, may be volatile in response to economic uncertainties, industry operating rates, supply-related disruptions, transportation constraints or disruptions, net import and export activity, inventory levels in various distribution channels, and seasonal demand patterns.

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About Boise Cascade

Boise Cascade Company is one of the largest producers of engineered wood products and plywood in North America and a leading U.S. wholesale distributor of building products. For more information, please visit our website at www.bc.com.

Contact:

Lisa Tschampl – Media Contact – mediarelations@bc.com

Source: Boise Cascade Company