THE Toro Company net income fell markedly in Q4 as pre-season demand for snow-throwing equipment dropped off

Last winter was a relatively mild one for most portions of the country, with minimal snowfall. This meant that many people did not feel the need to buy snowthrowers to clean their driveways and walkways. With such mild weather a year ago, many people are not rushing out this year to make snowthrower purchases in advance of any snow.

Toro, earned $251,000 for the quarter ended Oct. 31. whereas for the same quarter last year, earning were $5 million. Gross margin however increased to 33.3 percent from 32.3 percent.

For the full financial year, Toro earned $129.5 million, up from $117.7 million the previous year. Annual revenue climbed 4 percent to $1.96 billion from $1.88 billion.

Chairman and CEO Michael J. Hoffman said in a statement on last Wednesday that the company is pleased with its full-year performance, but that its results could have been even better if there was more snow this past winter. Hoffman said the limited snowfall lowered snowthrower sales by nearly 50 percent. "While we hope for better weather for our business, that is out of our control," he said.