Animal Health
Net sales of $160.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023, increased $5.7 million, or 4%. Net sales of MFAs and other increased $1.3 million, or 1%, primarily driven by increased sales of processing aids used in the ethanol fermentation industry. Net sales of nutritional specialty products increased $1.2 million, or 3%, with increased volumes in poultry customers, primarily domestic. Net sales of vaccines increased $3.2 million, or 14%, due to poultry product introductions in Latin America and growth in the U.S. swine sector, partially offset by timing of deliveries in other international regions.
Mineral Nutrition
Net sales of $56.0 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023, decreased $3.6 million, or 6%, due to declines in the average selling prices and reduced volumes due to reduced demand.
Performance Products
Net sales of $14.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023, decreased $3.2 million, or 18%, as a result of lower demand for the ingredients used in personal care products.
Gross profit
Gross profit of $67.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023, decreased $0.9 million, or 1%, as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2022. Gross margin decreased to 29.3% of net sales for the three months ended September 30, 2023, as compared to 29.5% for the three months ended September 30, 2022.
Animal Health gross profit increased $2.4 million, primarily driven by higher sales volume. Mineral Nutrition gross profit decreased $2.3 million, driven by lower sales and higher costs. Performance Products gross profit decreased $1.1 million as a result of lower sales volumes of ingredients for personal care products, along with increased costs for these products.
Selling, general and administrative expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”) of $68.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023, increased $13.5 million, or 25%, as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2022. SG&A for the three months ended September 30, 2023, included $10.4 million of pension settlement cost and $0.1 million of stock-based compensation. Excluding these items, SG&A increased $3.0 million.
Animal Health SG&A increased $1.3 million, primarily due to an increase in employee and employee-related costs. Mineral Nutrition increased $0.2 million, while Performance Products decreased $0.1 million. Corporate costs increased by $1.6 million, due to strategic investments and employee-related costs.
Interest expense, net
Interest expense, net of $4.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023, increased by $1.5 million, as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2022, as a result of the increased debt with the issuance of 2023 Incremental Term Loan and the higher variable interest rates.