Fourth-quarter sales for nutritional supplements manufacturer/marketer NBTY increased 6%, to $496 million for the three months ended Sept. 30. Net income for the quarter rose 26.3%, to $48 million. The Bohemia, NY-based company attributed the rise in net income to the revenue increase, gross profit improvement, and SG&A cost controls. But fourth-quarter revenue from the direct response division, which includes the Puritan’s Pride catalog, decreased 10%, to $47 million.
For the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, net sales were $2.0 billion, up 7% from $1.9 billion last year. Net income for the year soared 86%, to $208 million from $112 million in fiscal 2006. Year-over-year sales within the direct division slipped 1%, to $194 million from $196 million last year. The decrease in sales, company officials said, reflects the lowering of prices to garner greater market share in a highly competitive environment. Online sales accounted for 38% of total direct response sales for fiscal 2007.