Saudi cement producer Yamama Cement Company said it registered a 23 per cent YoY rise in its net profit for the first half of 2010 to SAR 357m (US$95.2m) from SAR291m a year ago.

The strong increase was attributed to a rise in sales, Yamama Cement said without giving exact figures.

The earnings per share (EPS) stood at SAR2.67, up from SAR 2.16.

The gross profit rose to SAR378m from SAR316m.