ROGERS, CT -- Rogers today raised its fiscal second quarter guidance, saying it expects all-time quarterly record net sales from continuing operations. 

For the period ended June 30, the laminate manufacturer expects to report  sales of of $153.5 million, up from its April 29 guidance of $143 million to $148 million.

Rogers has benefited from demand for high frequency and related materials for China's 4G buildout.

The company lowered its expected earnings per diluted share from continuing operations for the quarter to $0.55 to $0.58 compared to previous guidance of $0.68 to $0.76.

The revised unaudited earnings estimates are primarily the result of increased SG&A expenses of approximately $6 million to $7 million and a higher than anticipated effective tax rate. The increase in SG&A expenses was driven by incentive compensation accruals and unusually high spending on internal process improvement projects, business development investments, chief financial officer transition expenses, and other severance costs. The higher effective tax rate was the result of a change in the geographic profit mix to higher tax rate jurisdictions.

In a statement, president and CEO Bruce D. Hoechner said, "I am very pleased with our top line performance reaching all-time quarterly record levels for the company during the quarter and the continued strength of our gross margins. With respect to the increased expenses, we have taken significant steps within the company to improve our budgetary planning capabilities. The underlying fundamentals of the business remain solid as we continue to benefit from tailwinds in our core markets that we believe offer continued opportunities for profitable growth as we move forward.”