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Toll Brothers 4Q Home-Building Revenue Declines

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Toll Brothers 4Q Home-Building Revenue Declines

HORSHAM, PENN. (AP) — Luxury homebuilder Toll Brothers Inc reported November 11 that its home building revenue dropped 41 percent in its fiscal fourth quarter as the financial crisis exacerbated ongoing weakness in the housing market.

The company reported preliminary homebuilding revenue declined to $691 million in the three months ended October 31 from $1.17 billion, while backlog dropped 54 percent to $1.33 billion from $2.85 billion.

Net signed contracts for the quarter also slid 27 percent to $266.7 million from $365.3 million.

For the fiscal year, homebuilding revenue declined 32 percent to $3.15 billion, and net signed contracts declined 47 percent to $1.61 billion.

Toll ended the fiscal year with $1.63 billion in cash and believes this liquidity can help the company weather turmoil in the industry.

Its shares fell 37 cents, or two percent, to $18.58 in morning trading Tuesday. The company has traded in a 52-week range of $15.49 to $28.

Chief Executive Robert I. Toll said the preliminary signs of stability in the market discussed by the company in early September were reversed by the financial crisis. At that time, Mr Toll said there were signs of a stabilizing market, as his company had the lowest contract cancellation rate in more than two years, and more buyers were putting down deposits.

But on November 11, Mr Toll said accelerating fears of job losses and a large decline in consumer spending, among other factors, contributed to drive cancellations up to 233 units and drive home buyer confidence and the company’s traffic and demand down to record lows.

Toll Brothers plans to release full results for the quarter on December 4.

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