Friedman Industries - 10-K annual report

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Commission File No. 1-7521

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:(713) 672-9433

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

     Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months and (2) has been subject to the filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes  X       No            

     Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.

         X                   

     Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2).

Yes                 No  X  

     The aggregate market value of the Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of September 30, 2004 (computed by reference to the closing price on such date), was approximately $30,977,000.

     The number of shares of the registrant’s Common Stock outstanding at June 11, 2005 was 7,139,747 shares.

      Portions of the Annual Report to Shareholders of Friedman Industries, Incorporated for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2005 — Part II.

      Proxy Statement for the 2005 Annual Meeting of Shareholders — Part III.

      Friedman Industries, Incorporated (the “Company”), a Texas corporation incorporated in 1965, is engaged in pipe manufacturing and processing, steel processing and steel and pipe distribution.

      The Company has two product groups: coil and tubular products. Significant financial information relating to the Company’s product groups for the last three years is contained in Note 7 of the Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Company’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2005, which financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in Item 8 hereof.

      The Company purchases hot-rolled steel coils, processes the coils into flat, finished sheet and plate and sells these products on a wholesale, rapid-delivery basis in competition with steel mills, importers and steel service centers. The Company also processes customer-owned coils on a fee basis. The Company has coil processing plants located at Lone Star, Texas and Hickman, Arkansas. At each plant, the steel coils are processed through a cut-to-length line which levels the steel and cuts it to prescribed lengths. The Company’s processing machinery is heavy, mill-type equipment capable of processing steel coils weighing up to 25 tons. Coils are processed to the specifications required for a particular order. Shipments are made via unaffiliated truckers or by rail and, in times of normal supply and market conditions, can generally be made within 48 hours of receipt of the customer’s order.

      At its Lone Star facility, the Company purchases hot-rolled steel coils primarily from Lone Star Steel Company (“LSS”), which is located approximately four miles from the Company’s Lone Star plant. The Lone Star plant purchases its supply of steel from LSS and other suppliers at competitive prices determined at the time of purchase. Loss of LSS as a source of coil supply could have an adverse effect on the Company’s business.

      At the Company’s Hickman facility, the Company warehouses and processes hot-rolled steel coils which are purchased primarily from Nucor Steel Company (“NSC”), which is located approximately one-half mile from the Hickman facility. In addition, the Company’s XSCP Division located in Hickman purchases and markets non-standard hot-rolled coils received from NSC. Loss of NSC as a source of coil supply could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business.

      At the Lone Star facility, the Company maintains three cut-to-length lines and a coil-to-coil 2-Hi temper pass mill. This equipment is capable of processing steel up to 72 inches wide and up to one-half inch thick. The Hickman facility operates a cut-to-length line which has 72 inch wide and one-half inch thick capability. The Company also operates a 2-Hi temper pass mill at the Hickman facility that is capable of processing steel up to 72 inches wide and one-half inch thick in a coil-to-coil mode or directly from coil to cut-to-length processing.

      Through its Texas Tubular Products Division (“TTP”) in Lone Star, Texas, the Company manufactures, purchases, processes and markets tubular products.

      TTP operates two pipe mills that are capable of producing pipe from 2³/8inches to 8⁵/8inches in outside diameter. One pipe mill is API-licensed to manufacture line and oil country pipe and also manufactures pipe for structural and piling purposes that meets recognized industry standards. The second pipe mill began operation in April 2004 and generally produces pipe ranging from 2³/8inches

to 2⁷/8inches in outside diameter. TTP employs various pipe processing equipment including threading and beveling machines, pipe handling equipment and other related machinery. This machinery can process pipe up to 13³/8inches in outside diameter.

      The Company currently manufactures and sells substantially all of its line and oil country pipe to LSS pursuant to orders received from LSS. In addition, the Company purchases from LSS and markets to others pipe for structural applications for some sizes of pipe that exceed the capability of the TTP pipe mills.

      The Company purchases a substantial portion of its annual supply of pipe and coil material used in pipe production from LSS. The Company can make no assurances as to the amounts of pipe and coil material that will be available from LSS in the future. Loss of LSS as a source of supply or as a customer could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business.

      The following table sets forth the approximate percentage of total sales contributed by each group of products and services during each of the Company’s last three fiscal years:

     Coil Products. The Company sells coil products to approximately 250 customers located primarily in the midwestern, southwestern and southeastern sections of the United States. The Company’s principal customers for these products and services are steel distributors and customers fabricating steel products such as storage tanks, steel buildings, farm machinery and equipment, construction equipment, transportation equipment, conveyors and other similar products. During each of the fiscal years ended March 31, 2005, 2004 and 2003, seven, six and six customers, respectively, accounted for approximately 25% of the Company’s sales of coil products. Except for Trinity Industries, Inc., no coil product customer accounted for as much as 10% of the Company’s total sales during those years. Trinity Industries, Inc. accounted for approximately 11% of total sales in fiscal 2005.

      The Company sells substantially all of its coil products through its own sales force. At March 31, 2005, the sales force was comprised of a vice president and three professional sales personnel under the direction of the Senior Vice President — Sales and Marketing. Salesmen are paid on a salary and commission basis.

      Shipments of particular products are made from the facility offering the product desired. If the product is available at more than one facility, other factors such as location of the customer, productive capacity of the facility and activity of the facility enter into the decision regarding shipments. The Company regularly contracts on a quarterly basis with many of its larger customers to supply minimum quantities of steel.

     Tubular Products. The Company sells its tubular products nationally to approximately 260 customers. The Company’s principal customers of these products are steel and pipe distributors, piling contractors and LSS. Sales of pipe to LSS accounted for approximately 16% of the Company’s total sales in fiscal 2005.

      The Company sells its tubular products through its own sales force comprised of five professional sales personnel under the direction of the Senior Vice President — Sales and Marketing. Salesmen are paid on a salary and commission basis.

      The Company is engaged in a non-seasonal, highly-competitive business. The Company competes with steel mills, importers and steel service centers. The steel industry, in general, is characterized by a small number of extremely large companies dominating the bulk of the market and a large number of relatively small companies, such as the Company, competing for a limited share of such market.

      The Company believes that in times of normal supply and market conditions its ability to compete is dependent upon its ability to offer products at prices competitive with or below those of other steel suppliers, as well as its ability to provide products meeting customer specifications on a rapid-delivery basis.

      At March 31, 2005, the Company had approximately 140 full-time employees.

      The following table sets forth as of March 31, 2005, the name, age, officer positions and family relationships, if any, of each executive officer of the Company and period during which each officer has served in such capacity:

      The principal properties of the Company are described in the following table:

      The Company is not a party to, nor is its property the subject of, any material pending legal proceedings.

      None.

      The Company’s Common Stock is traded principally on the American Stock Exchange (Symbol: FRD).

      Reference is hereby made to the sections of the Company’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2005, entitled “Description of Business — Range of High and Low Sales Prices of Common Stock” and “Description of Business — Cash Dividends Declared Per Share of Common Stock”, which sections are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

      The approximate number of shareholders of record of Common Stock of the Company as of May 27, 2005 was 450.

      Information with respect to Item 6 is hereby incorporated herein by reference from the section of the Company’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2005, entitled “Selected Financial Data”.

      Information with respect to Item 7 is hereby incorporated herein by reference from the section of the Company’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2005, entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”.

      In the normal course of business the Company is exposed to market risk primarily from changes in the cost of steel in inventory and in interest rates. The Company closely monitors exposure to market risks and develops appropriate strategies to manage risk. With respect to steel purchases, there is no recognized market to purchase derivative financial instruments to reduce the inventory exposure risk on changing commodity prices. The exposure to market risk associated with interest rates relates primarily to debt. Recent debt balances are minimal and, as a result, direct exposure to interest rates changes is not significant.

      The following financial statements and notes thereto of the Company included in the Company’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2005, are hereby incorporated herein by reference:

      Information with respect to supplementary financial information relating to the Company appears in Note 8 — Summary of Quarterly Results of Operations (Unaudited) of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements incorporated herein by reference above in this Item 8 from the Company’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2005.

      The following supplementary schedule for the Company for the year ended March 31, 2005, is included elsewhere in this report.

      Schedule II — Valuation and Qualifying Accounts

      All other schedules for which provision is made in the applicable accounting regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission are not required under the related instructions or are inapplicable and, therefore, have been omitted.

      None

      The Company’s management, with the participation of the Company’s principal executive officer (CEO) and principal financial officer (CFO), evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended ( the “Exchange Act”)) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on this evaluation, the CEO and CFO have concluded that, as of the end of such period, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective to ensure that information that is required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms.

      There were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2005 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

      None

      Except as otherwise set forth below, information with respect to Item 10 is hereby incorporated herein by reference from the Company’s proxy statement in respect of the 2005 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, definitive copies of which are expected to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or before 120 days after the end of the Company’s 2005 fiscal year.

      Information with respect to Item 10 regarding executive officers is hereby incorporated by reference from the information set forth under the caption “Executive Officers of the Company” in Item 1 of this report.

      The Company has adopted the Friedman Industries, Incorporated Code of Conduct and Ethics (the “Code”) which applies to the Company’s employees, directors and officers, including its principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. A copy of the Code is filed as an exhibit hereto.

      Information with respect to Item 11 is hereby incorporated herein by reference from the Company’s proxy statement in respect of the 2005 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, definitive copies of which are expected to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or before 120 days after the end of the Company’s 2005 fiscal year.

      The following table sets forth certain equity compensation plan information for the Company as of March 31, 2005:

      The additional information with respect to Item 12 regarding the security ownership of certain beneficial owners and management, and related matters, is hereby incorporated herein by reference from the Company’s proxy statement in respect to the 2005 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, definitive copies of which are expected to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or before 120 days after the end of the Company’s 2005 fiscal year.

      Information with respect to Item 13 is hereby incorporated herein by reference from the Company’s proxy statement in respect of the 2005 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, definitive copies of which are expected to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or before 120 days after the end of the Company’s 2005 fiscal year.

      Information with respect to Item 14 is hereby incorporated herein by reference from the Company’s proxy statement in respect of the 2005 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, definitive copies of which are expected to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or before 120 days after the end of the Company’s 2005 fiscal year.

      (a) Documents included in this report

      1. Financial Statements

      The following financial statements and notes thereto of the Company are included in the Company’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2005, which is incorporated herein by reference.

      2. Financial Statement Schedules

      The following financial statement schedule of the Company is included in this report at page S-1.

      All other schedules for which provision is made in the applicable accounting regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission are not required under the related instructions or are inapplicable and, therefore, have been omitted.

      3. Exhibits

      Copies of exhibits filed as a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K may be obtained by shareholders of record at a charge of $.10 per page. Direct inquiries to: Benny Harper, Senior Vice President — Finance, Friedman Industries, Incorporated, P. O. Box 21147, Houston, Texas 77226.

      Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Friedman Industries, Incorporated has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Houston, and State of Texas, this 28th day of June, 2005.

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated on behalf of Friedman Industries, Incorporated in the City of Houston, and State of Texas.

      Copies of exhibits filed as a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K may be obtained by shareholders of record at a charge of $.10 per page. Direct inquiries to: Benny Harper, Senior Vice President — Finance, Friedman Industries, Incorporated, P. O. Box 21147, Houston, Texas 77226.