WEST CHESTER TWP., Ohio -- AK Steel Corp. today reported its net income rose 32 percent in the second quarter compared to the same point last year.

The company said it had a net income of $145.2 million, or $1.29 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2008, compared to net income of $109.9 million, or $0.98 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2007.

Net sales for the second quarter of 2008 also increased to a record $2,236.6 million on shipments of 1,737,800 tons, also a record, compared to sales of $1,869.5 million on shipments of 1,711,400 tons for the year-ago quarter. The company said its average selling price for the second quarter of 2008 was a record $1,287 per ton, a 13 percent increase over the $1,135 per-ton mark set in the first quarter of 2008, and about 18 percent higher than the $1,092 per-ton price for the second quarter of 2007. AK Steel officials cited an increase in per-ton selling prices resulted from higher contract and spot market pricing driven by strong demand and record raw material and energy cost increases as possible reasons for the increases.

Second-quarter 2008 operating profit was $237.9 million, or $137 per ton, compared to $187.4 million, or $109 per ton, in the second quarter of 2007.

However, the year-ago quarter was impacted by a pre-tax, non-cash pension curtailment charge of $24.7 million related to a labor agreement for the company's Middletown Works. The year-over-year operating profit improvement was primarily the result of higher spot market shipments and overall higher selling prices in all markets the company serves, coupled with continued strong cost controls, officials said in a release.

"Despite unprecedented raw material and energy cost increases and weakness in several markets, AK Steel employees have shown they can 'forge ahead' and deliver record operating and financial performances," said James Wainscott, chairman, president and CEO. "AK Steel has once again demonstrated its expertise as a world-class steelmaker."

For the first six months of 2008, the company reported net income of $246.3 million, or $2.19 per diluted share. Net income for the corresponding 2007 period was $172.6 million, or $1.55 per diluted share.

First-half 2008 sales were a record $4,028.0 million compared to $3,589.4 million in the first half of 2007. Operating profit in the first six months of 2008 was $407.6 million, or $123 per ton, compared to $307.4 million, or $93 per ton, for the first half of 2007. This improvement is primarily the result of higher shipments, higher selling prices and lower operating costs. Operating profit for the first half of 2007 was impacted by pre-tax, non-cash pension curtailment charges totaling $39.8 million related to new labor agreements for the company's Middletown Works and Mansfield Works. During the first half of 2008, the company made $150 million in early pension fund contributions and ended the second quarter with $380.8 million of cash on hand and $680.9 million of availability under its credit facility.

AK Steel said it expects shipments for the third quarter of 2008 to be approximately 1,550,000 tons, which will be lower than second quarter 2008 levels. The sequential drop in shipments results primarily from expected seasonally lower automotive shipments and a planned five-day outage at the company's Middletown Works hot strip mill. The company also expects higher raw material and energy costs relative to the second quarter. AK Steel anticipates that its third-quarter 2008 average per-ton selling prices will be about 10 percent higher compared to the second quarter of 2008, and the company expects to generate operating profit in a range between $170 and $175 per ton, which would represent a record performance.

(Article courtesy of www.daytondailynews.com)