Mohawk Industries, Inc. announced 2015 first quarter net earnings of $22 million and diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $.30. Excluding unusual charges, net earnings were $125 million and EPS was $1.70, a 38% increase over last year's first quarter adjusted EPS and the highest Q1 adjusted EPS in the company's history. Net sales for the first quarter of 2015 were $1.9 billion, an increase of approximately 4% versus the prior year's first quarter or 6% on a constant days and currency exchange rate basis excluding a 2014 disposition of a ceramic plant. For the first quarter of 2014, net sales were $1.8 billion, net earnings were $81 million and EPS was $1.11; excluding unusual charges, net earnings were $90 million and EPS was $1.23.

Commenting on Mohawk Industries' first quarter performance, Jeffrey S. Lorberbaum, Chairman and CEO, stated, "For the period, our adjusted operating margin was approximately 10%, an increase of 170 basis points compared to the prior year, as a result of new products, higher volume, and numerous productivity initiatives. We improved SG&A as a percent of sales by 90 basis points across the business, even as we expanded our sales organization, introduced leading product innovation and implemented merchandising systems that showcase our product value. Throughout the business, we are introducing new products across all categories that are being well received in their markets, generating sales growth and increasing margins."

Carpet Segment net sales for the quarter were $739 million, up approximately 10% over last year as reported or 4% on a constant days basis. Our adjusted operating income increased about 20% over the prior year with a margin of 5.5% as we reduced our SG&A as a percent of sales. SmartStrand^® Forever Clean™, the next generation of our exclusive SmartStrand franchise, was launched in the first quarter, and continues to gain momentum in the market. We are expanding the sales of our premium Karastan carpet brand and increasing our participation in the builder and multifamily channels. In commercial carpet, we continue to improve sales and operating margin through innovative designs, process simplification and material optimization. We have completed our Continuum™ manufacturing expansion and are increasing sales in this faster growing polyester category.

Ceramic Segment net sales for the quarter were $720 million, up approximately 4% over last year as reported or an increase of approximately 9% on a constant days and currency exchange rate basis excluding a 2014 disposition of a ceramic plant. Even with the impact of the weaker euro and ruble, the segment's adjusted operating income grew 37% over the prior year to a margin of approximately 12%, an increase of 290 basis points. Our regional ceramic organizations are outperforming our competitors on a local basis as we leverage our product innovation, manufacturing expertise and distribution advantages. Our U.S. ceramic business continues to strengthen as we introduce unique products in all of our channels. For the eleventh consecutive year, retailers voted one of our ceramic collections as the best in the industry, underscoring our leadership in design and technical innovation. In Mexico, we are gaining significant share as a result of our leading styling and expanded distribution; and our margins are improving as we enhance our product mix and lower our costs. In Europe, our focus on bringing differentiated products to market has expanded our distribution and improved our average selling price. In Russia, the strong performance of our porcelain collections improved our mix and volume, yielding a higher operating profit in local currency than last year in a difficult environment.

Laminate and Wood Segment net sales for the quarter were $448 million, decreasing approximately 4% over last year as reported and increasing approximately 5% at a constant days and currency exchange rate basis. Adjusted operating margin for the segment was 14%, growing 280 basis points over the prior year. The segment's improved results were driven by positive volume, productivity improvements and successful product introductions, partially offset by the stronger dollar. On a local currency basis, our European laminate business showed improvement, with strong growth in the U.K., Australia and Russia, partially offset by lower sales in France. Sales of our new Impressive™ laminate collection have grown rapidly due to the product's richly detailed surface and exclusive water resistant technology. We are aggressively marketing new LVT collections produced at our facility inBelgium to generate sales volume and achieve our product expansion goals. In the U.S., new laminate product launches featuring our most realistic visuals and textures drove sales across all channels, with retailers selecting one of our collections as the best new laminate product, the fifth consecutive year we've received this honor. Sales of our engineered wood collections increased, in both our retail and new construction channels; and we announced a price increase for the category during the period.

We were pleased with our progress during the first quarter and anticipate the improving U.S. economy and a stronger flooring market will benefit our business for the remainder of the year. In the U.S., continued economic and income growth, low gasoline prices and interest rates and increased home values should drive our business throughout 2015. We expect our European sales in local currency to improve slightly, with new product innovations enhancing our mix along with manufacturing and productivity initiatives improving margins. In Russia, our leading brand and product positions combined with our efficient manufacturing will improve our market share in a challenging economy, while increased inflation and competition will impact our margins. Foreign currency will continue to negatively impact our results during the second quarter, with the current euro approximately 20% weaker and ruble approximately 30% lower than last year. This will be partially mitigated by our sales and productivity initiatives, SG&A reductions and cost improvement projects. Taking all of these factors into account, our guidance for second quarter earnings is$2.51 to $2.60 per share, excluding any earnings from new acquisitions or any restructuring charges. Our second quarter earnings guidance would have been approximately $0.25 per share higher on a constant exchange rate relative to last year. Assuming the transactions close in the second quarter, we estimate the IVC and Kai acquisitions will add $0.06 to $0.08 per share to earnings in the period.

We anticipate significant opportunities with our IVC acquisition, which will expand our participation in the LVT and fiberglass sheet vinyl categories in the U.S. and Europe, and our Kai acquisition, which will increase our ceramic participation in Eastern Europe. These acquisitions will improve our future growth, broaden our geographic coverage and solidify our position as the world's largest flooring manufacturer.