Last evening, we reported strong fourth quarter results with organic revenue up 5%, EBITDA up 9% and earnings per share up 21%.
We also realized significant operational benefits from the business realignment completed earlier in the year, which generated $30 million of annualized SG&A savings in 2020, including $10 million realized in the fourth quarter, resulting in strong profit growth and operating leverage.
Cash flow from operations increased 27% year-over-year, and enabled us to pay down a total of $205 million of debt for the year, above our original $200 million target.
Strong performance continued in our Hygiene, Health and Consumables segment, where organic revenues increased by 5%, including solid organic growth in most geographic regions.
HHC segment EBITDA margins were strong at 15.3%, up 270 basis points year-over-year, reflecting volume leverage, favorable mix, savings from our business restructuring, and good overall cost control.
Construction Adhesives' organic revenue increased 1% versus the prior year with improvements in year-on-year performance for all markets when compared with the second and third quarters of the year.
Construction Adhesives' EBITDA margin was solid at 12.4%, down 80 basis points versus last year, reflecting unfavorable mix and an increase in variable compensation accruals as a result of the stronger top line results in the fourth quarter.
Engineering Adhesives continued to show strong improvement, with organic revenue up 5.6% year-on-year in the quarter, led by double-digit growth in electronics, recreational vehicles, woodworking and panels and solid results in insulating glass and automotive.
Engineering Adhesives' EBITDA margin remained strong at nearly 17%, down 80 basis points versus last year, reflecting an increase in variable compensation as a result of the stronger top line results in the fourth quarter.
Sales growth, improving margins and continued working capital efficiency will enable us to continue to drive strong cash flow and deliver another year of strong debt paydown with a target of paying down another $200 million of debt in 2021.
For the quarter, revenue was up 5.2% versus the same period last year.
Currency had a positive impact of 0.5%.
Adjusting for currency, organic revenue was up 4.7% with volume up 5% and pricing having a negative 0.3% impact year-on-year in the quarter.
Year-on-year adjusted gross profit margin was 27.5%, down 10 basis points versus last year as higher volume was offset by higher variable compensation and unfavorable absorption due to a reduction in inventory.
Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter of $123 million was up 9.4% versus last year and above the high end of our planning assumptions, reflecting strong top line performance, particularly in Engineering Adhesives.
Adjusted earnings per share were $1.06, up 21% versus the same period last year as strong volume growth, lower SG&A and lower interest expense associated with our debt reduction actions drove higher earnings per share than last year.
For the quarter, cash flow from operations of $139 million is up by 27% versus the same period last year, reflecting continued improvement in working capital performance.
This allowed us to continue to reduce debt, paying off $205 million for the full year ahead of our $200 million debt paydown plan.
Based on what we know today, and the planning assumptions that Jim laid out earlier, we anticipate full year organic revenue growth to be in the low to mid-single-digits, and EBITDA to increase by approximately 10% as volume leverage, pricing, manufacturing and supply chain savings and carryover of the restructuring-related savings and SG&A offset higher raw material costs, variable compensation rebuild and higher travel expense.
We expect our 2021 core tax rate to be between 26% and 28% compared to our 2020 core tax rate of about 25%.
Capital expenditures are expected to be approximately $95 million in the 2021 fiscal year, and we expect to devote approximately $200 million of our cash flow after capex investments and dividends to the repayment of debt.
Revenues increased and margins improved sequentially throughout the year, and in the fourth quarter, we delivered 5% organic revenue growth with positive organic growth in each of our segments.
Our customer wins continue to grow, and we are still in the process of implementing changes and optimizing the business with a focus now on driving $20 million to $30 million of efficiencies across our manufacturing network by the end of 2022.
In December, we announced our Advantra hot melt adhesive technology for extreme cold storage of vaccines and medical packaging, which provides a secure bond at minus 70 degrees Celsius.

Summary:
We also realized significant operational benefits from the business realignment completed earlier in the year, which generated $30 million of annualized SG&A savings in 2020, including $10 million realized in the fourth quarter, resulting in strong profit growth and operating leverage.
Cash flow from operations increased 27% year-over-year, and enabled us to pay down a total of $205 million of debt for the year, above our original $200 million target.
Sales growth, improving margins and continued working capital efficiency will enable us to continue to drive strong cash flow and deliver another year of strong debt paydown with a target of paying down another $200 million of debt in 2021.
Year-on-year adjusted gross profit margin was 27.5%, down 10 basis points versus last year as higher volume was offset by higher variable compensation and unfavorable absorption due to a reduction in inventory.
Adjusted earnings per share were $1.06, up 21% versus the same period last year as strong volume growth, lower SG&A and lower interest expense associated with our debt reduction actions drove higher earnings per share than last year.
This allowed us to continue to reduce debt, paying off $205 million for the full year ahead of our $200 million debt paydown plan.
Based on what we know today, and the planning assumptions that Jim laid out earlier, we anticipate full year organic revenue growth to be in the low to mid-single-digits, and EBITDA to increase by approximately 10% as volume leverage, pricing, manufacturing and supply chain savings and carryover of the restructuring-related savings and SG&A offset higher raw material costs, variable compensation rebuild and higher travel expense.
Capital expenditures are expected to be approximately $95 million in the 2021 fiscal year, and we expect to devote approximately $200 million of our cash flow after capex investments and dividends to the repayment of debt.