UltraTech Cement Limited’s profit attributable to shareholders rose 21.3% in the July-September quarter while domestic cement volumes expanded, although both profit and revenue fell from the preceding three months.
The company reported Rs 1,493.77 crore in profit attributable to shareholders, compared with Rs 1,231.58 crore a year earlier and Rs 2,599.28 crore in April-June. Its unaudited consolidated filing for the quarter ended Sept. 30, released Oct. 19, also recorded total profit after tax of Rs 1,501.38 crore, a measure that includes non-controlling interests.
Revenue from operations climbed 18.8% from a year earlier to Rs 23,295.07 crore, up from Rs 19,606.93 crore. It was 5.5% below the preceding quarter’s Rs 24,648.20 crore. UltraTech described the period as affected by monsoon conditions and the West Asia crisis; it did not quantify either factor’s impact.
Domestic grey cement sales reached 35.94 million tonnes, compared with 31.58 million tonnes a year earlier. Capacity utilization rose to 71% from 66%. The company said its market access, cost-control work and premium-product focus helped lift sales volumes.
Expenses rose to Rs 21,338.88 crore from Rs 18,119.56 crore a year earlier. Power and fuel costs increased to Rs 5,511.06 crore from Rs 4,444.19 crore, while materials consumed rose to Rs 4,208.23 crore from Rs 3,383.74 crore. Profit before interest, depreciation and tax was Rs 3,832 crore, up 17.3% year over year. That measure was about 16.6% of net sales, compared with about 21% in April-June.
During the quarter, the company brought capacity of 3.6 million tonnes per year online at Petnikota and added another 1 million tonnes per year through upgrades to existing plants. Its global grey cement capacity stood at 210.1 million tonnes per year on Sept. 30. The company’s stated target is to exceed 240 million tonnes per year by March 2028.
