OLIN Corp

Sales for the three months ended March 31, 2024 were $1,635.3 million compared to $1,844.3 million in the same period last year, a decrease of $209.0 million, or 11%. Chlor Alkali Products and Vinyls sales decreased by $232.5 million primarily due to lower pricing, primarily caustic soda, and lower volumes. Epoxy sales decreased by $19.4 million, primarily due to lower product pricing partially offset by increased sales volumes. Winchester sales increased by $42.9 million, primarily due to higher commercial ammunition sales volumes and first quarter 2024 sales from White Flyer.

Gross margin decreased $195.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to the prior year. Chlor Alkali Products and Vinyls gross margin decreased by $165.4 million primarily due to lower pricing, primarily caustic soda, and lower volumes. Epoxy gross margin decreased by $35.5 million primarily due to lower product pricing partially offset by increased volumes. Winchester gross margin increased by $8.1 million primarily due to higher sales volumes, partially offset by lower product pricing. Gross margin as a percentage of sales decreased to 13% in 2024 from 22% in 2023.

Selling and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2024 was $101.9 million, a decrease of $9.9 million from the prior year. The decrease was primarily due to lower variable incentive compensation expense of $4.0 million, a favorable foreign currency impact of $2.5 million and lower costs of $2.0 million associated with consulting and contract services. Selling and administrative expenses as a percentage of sales was 6% in both 2024 and 2023.

Restructuring charges for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 were $8.3 million and $60.9 million, respectively. The decrease in charges was primarily due to our 2023 actions to configure our global Epoxy asset footprint to optimize the most productive and cost effective assets to support our strategic operating model, which resulted in pretax restructuring charges of $57.8 million in the first quarter 2023.

Interest expense increased by $2.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 from the prior year, primarily due to higher average interest rates.

Non-operating pension income includes all components of pension and other postretirement income (costs) other than service costs. Non-operating pension income was higher for the three months ended March 31, 2024 primarily due to a decrease in the discount rate used to determine interest costs, partially offset by higher actuarial losses recognized to income.

The effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2024 included a net $2.6 million tax benefit, primarily associated with stock-based compensation and prior year tax positions, partially offset by an expense from a change in tax contingencies. Excluding these items, the effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2024 of 25.0% was higher than the 21.0% U.S. federal statutory rate primarily due to state income tax and foreign income inclusions, partially offset by favorable permanent salt depletion deductions. The effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2023 included a net $5.2 million tax benefit, primarily associated with stock-based compensation, a remeasurement of deferred taxes due to a decrease in our state effective tax rates, and prior year tax positions, partially offset by an expense from a net increase in the valuation allowance related to deferred tax assets in foreign jurisdictions and an expense from a change in tax contingencies. Excluding these items, the effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2023 of 23.6% was higher than the 21.0% U.S. federal statutory rate primarily due to state and foreign income taxes and an increase in the valuation allowance related to losses in foreign jurisdictions, partially offset by favorable permanent salt depletion deductions.