LafargeHolcim reported net sales growth of 5.1 percent in its fourth quarter. Four bolt-on acquisitions were completed in 2018 in Europe and North America, which drove growth and added to the company’s presence in Ready-Mix Concrete and Aggregates. These acquisitions had immediate impact on profitability and brought the company closer to its end-customers. Four more bolt-on acquisitions have been signed in 2019 in Europe, Australia and North America.
Jan Jenisch, CEO said, “Our momentum accelerated in the second half of 2018 during which we exceeded our sales targets while profitability increased over-proportionally. We completed a very successful 2018 with a double-digit EPS growth and progressed significantly towards our deleveraging target. I am very proud of the fast roll-out of Strategy 2022 – ‘Building for Growth’ and congratulate all employees and teams on the impressive results. We are well-positioned and I am expecting a further acceleration of our growth and earnings dynamic in 2019.”
Solid global market demand is expected to continue in 2019 with the following market trends:
- Continued market growth in North America.
- Softer but stabilizing cement demand in Latin America.
- Continued demand growth in Europe.
- Challenging but stabilizing market conditions in Middle East Africa.
- Continued strong demand growth in Asia.
Based on the above trends and the successful execution of Strategy 2022, the company confirmed the previously communicated target for 2019: Net sales growth of 3 to 5 percent on a like-for-like basis.