Natrol Profits Fall Sharply

Natrol Inc. reported a fourth-quarter net loss of $1.6 million, or $0.12 per share, on net sales of $14.9 million, compared with income of $265,000, or $0.02 per share, during the same period the year before. For the full-year, the company reported a net loss of $2.6 million, or $0.20 per share, on net sales of $67.5 million, compared with earnings of $1.9 million on sales of $79.2 million in the previous year. Wayne Bos, CEO of Natrol said its Carb Intercept product suffered a $9.2 million decline in sales after the peak of the low-carbohydrate diet sales trend in 2004, and that the company’s profitability suffered because of an increase in raw materials prices.