Specialty electronics manufacturer Astro-Med Inc. today said it swung to a loss in the first three months of its fiscal year as first-quarter sales dropped by more than 20 percent.

Astro-Med (Nasdaq: ALOT) posted a net loss of $231,000, or 3 cents a share, in the three months ended May 2, compared with a profit of $897,000, or 12 cents a share, in the same period a year earlier. The company’s gross profit margin fell to 39.6 percent from 43.8 percent a year ago.