During the July-September quarter of this year, business and economic activities came to a standstill due to political unrest in the country. This has affected the income and profit of listed companies in the capital market. In the last three months, two listed multinational companies in the cement sector, Lafarge Holcim Bangladesh Plc and Heidelberg Materials Bangladesh Plc, have seen a decrease in their business income. As a result, Lafarge Holcim’s profits fell significantly and Heidelberg suffered losses. This information is known from the financial report published in the last quarter of the two companies.
Lafarge Holcim and Heidelberg recently released unaudited financial reports for the third quarter (July-September) of the current fiscal year 2024. According to the report, Lafarge Holcim’s revenue for the quarter under review was Tk. 627 crore, compared to Tk. 639 crore in the same period last year. The company’s net profit after tax for the last July-September quarter was Tk. 88 crore, compared to Tk. 160 crore in the same period last year. Accordingly, the net profit of the company has decreased by 45 percent. Lafarge Holcim’s earnings per share (EPS) for the third quarter stood at 76 paisa, as against Tk.1. 38 paisa in the same period last year.
Meanwhile, in the first three quarters of the current financial year (January-September), Lafarge Holcim’s income was Tk. 2,690 crore, which was Tk. 2,165 crore in the same period of the previous year. The company’s net profit after tax during the period under review stood at Tk. 331 crore, as against Tk. 521 crore in the same period last year. The company’s EPS for the third quarter stood at Tk. 2.85 paisa, as against Tk. 4.49 paisa in the same period last year. At the end of September 30, the company’s net asset value per share (NAVPS) stood at 17 taka 44 paisa. Meanwhile, Lafarge Holcim has announced a 19 percent interim cash dividend for investors based on the profit for the period up to September 30 this year. The record date in this regard has been fixed on November 11.
Heidelberg earned Tk. 293 crore in the last July-September quarter, compared to Tk.365 crore in the same period last year. During this time, the company’s income decreased by about 20 percent. The company posted a net loss after tax of around Tk. 80 lakh in the quarter under review. During the same period of the previous year, the net profit was around Tk.3 crore. Heidelberg posted a loss of 14 paisa per share in the third quarter of the current financial year. EPS was 48 paisa in the same period last year.
Meanwhile, Heidelberg’s income in the first three quarters of the current financial year (January-September) was Tk. 1,115 crore, which was Tk. 1,386 crore in the same period of the previous year. The company’s net profit after tax for the period under review was Tk 41 crore, as against Tk. 50 crore in the same period last year. The company’s EPS for the third quarter stood at Tk. 7.31 paisa, which was Tk. 8.94 paisa in the same period last year. At the end of September 30, the NAVPS of the company stood at 72 taka 1 paisa.
This information is known from the financial report published in the last quarter of the two companies.
