Cement News tagged under: corporate

RSS feed

Italcementi Group to acquire two Holcim facilities in the US

23 April 2015, Published under Cement News

Essroc, the North American subsidiary of Italcementi group company Ciments Français, has signed an agreement with Holcim to purchase the slag cement grinding facility in Camden, New Jersey, USA. As part of the transaction, Essroc will also obtain Holcim cement terminal in Everett (Massachusetts). The acquisition will be finalised pending completion of the Holcim and Lafarge merger later this year. Holcim’s staff in Camden and Everett will join Essroc, Italcementi said in a statement. The ...

Ha Tien 1 Cement net profit surges, Vietnam

23 April 2015, Published under Cement News

Ha Tien 1 Cement JSC (HT1) said its net profit jumped to VND250.36bn (US$11.64m) in the first quarter of this year, from VND2bn in the same period of 2014, thanks to an increase in financial incomes and a decease in financial costs. Vietnam's largest cement maker by market capitalisation, said net revenue fell 4.25 per cent YoY to VND1.6trn in the January-March period, HT1 said in its quarterly financial report. Earnings per share over the three month period was VND787. Its financial in...

PPC to ease expansion, focus on existing projects

23 April 2015, Published under Cement News

PPC said it will expand more slowly after spending on its 'Rest of Africa' projects has raised its debt load, the company's chief executive said on Wednesday. PPC is building plants in African countries as part of a wider plan to generate 40 per cent of its sales outside its home market by 2017. However, spending on these projects is pushing up its debt levels and CEO Darryll Castle said PPC's debt would likely hit as much as ZAR12bn (US$982m) in the next two years and possibly breach agree...

ISS backs LafargeHolcim deal

22 April 2015, Published under Cement News

US shareholder adviser ISS has recommended that Holcim investors back the Swiss cement maker's proposed merger with Lafarge ahead of next month's shareholder vote on the tie-up. Backing from ISS is a boost Holcim as it seeks to win the support of two-thirds of investors at a shareholder meeting on 8 May 2015 to approve a capital increase to fund the proposed deal. ISS said in its report to investors that the deal warranted investors' support as it had a clear strategic rationale and offere...

Ciments de Bizerte registers 20% drop in 1Q15 turnover

22 April 2015, Published under Cement News

Tunisia’s Ciments de Bizerte saw its turnover fall by 19.6 per cent YoY in 1Q15 to TND11.115m. In Tunisia, the figure fell by 11.5 per cent as domestic demand fell by 9.7 per cent. However, the company noted a 84 per cent drop in exports due to the volatility of the Algerian market and the weak demand from Libya.

Century Textiles to reportedly spin off cement unit

22 April 2015, Published under Cement News

Century Textiles, owned by Birla patriarch Basant Kumar Birla, will spin off its cement business and merge it in an all-share deal with UltraTech Cement, owned by grandson Kumar Mangalam Birla, two people with direct knowledge of the plan have told the Economic Times of India. "Both companies are in the final stages of a plan to merge the cement businesses," one of the two persons said. "The enterprise value of Century's cement business has been put at INR10,500 crore, and an announcement c...

Semen Indonesia eyeing another Vietnamese acquisition

21 April 2015, Published under Cement News

Semen Indonesia is looking to acquire a second cement producer in Vietnam to further bolster its presence in the southeast Asian country. Director of finance Ahyanizzaman said Semen Indonesia had assigned a total capital expenditure of between IDR7trn (US$545.8m) and IDR11trn this year to boost its operations, which includes the takeover of the Vietnamese company. He said that the firm was now implementing a due diligence audit on the Vietnamese company which would be completed by the end...

Standard & Poor’s revises Italcementi rating

20 April 2015, Published under Cement News

Standard & Poor’s announced Friday that it has revised the corporate rating of Italcementi SpA, and as a consequence the rating of Italcementi Finance SA’s outstanding unsecured bonds, from BB+ with negative outlook to BB with stable outlook. The rating of Ciments Français SAS’ remaining outstanding bond is also revised to BB/stable. “We acknowledge Standard & Poor’s decision, even if it comes just ahead of what we believe is going to be a positive earnings cycle, driven by both the progr...

Siam Cement earnings' preview: robust quarter expected

20 April 2015, Published under Cement News

Thai conglomerate SCC is expected to report a strong net profit of THB10.2bn (US$315m) in the first quarter of 2015, up 21 per cent YoY and 15 per cent QoQ, according to estimations by SCB Securities. “We continue to like SCC for several reasons: 1) it benefits from low oil price via wider spreads and cheaper fuel costs and from a weak baht as a net exporter; 2) 2Q15 profit will continue strong, 3) solid three-year earnings growth of 16 per cent,” the research house stated. First qua...

Fitch downgrades Shanshui to 'BB-'; on Negative Watch

20 April 2015, Published under Cement News

Fitch Ratings has downgraded China Shanshui Cement Group Ltd's Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) and senior unsecured rating to 'BB-' from 'BB'. The ratings have also been placed on Rating Watch Negative. The downgrade is driven by our view that the current weak cement price in Shanshui's core markets will persist, and affect the company's ability to improve its financial performance. The Rating Watch Negative follows a public announcement that parties related to China Tianrui Group Cem...