The San Francisco-based provider of construction materials saysanalysts' consensus estimate for the third quarter had been 68cents per share, and commodity wood products made up about 43% ofits year-to-date sales. The company delivered the news after theclose of markets Monday. In early trading Tuesday, BMHC stock wastrading at $7.75, off $1.25 from Monday's close. The stock's52-week low is $7.125.

Robert Mellor, president and CEO of BMHC, says the company'sdiversification into value-added products and services, as well asthe framing business, helped to soften the blow. "These anticipatedprice levels, should they persist, would be approximately 20% belowthe fourth quarter of 1999," said Mellor in a preparedstatement.

BMHC, through its wholly wned subsidiaries BMC West and BMHCFraming, provides building materials and services to professionalresidential, commercial and industrial contractors and builders aswell as professional repair and remodel contractors. The companycurrently operates 56 building materials centers in California,Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas,Utah, Washington and Wyoming.