Eagle Materials Inc. reported financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2023 ended Sept. 30. The company is reporting record revenue of $605 million, up 19%, and record net earnings of $139 million, up 36%, and net earnings per share of $3.72, up 51%.
Commenting on the results, Michael Haack, president and CEO, said, “At this unique time in the U.S. markets, we are pleased to report second quarter results that once again exceeded our expectations and set quarterly records, with price increases across each business line more than offsetting cost inflation pressures. We generated record revenue of $605 million and record EPS of $3.72, and we expanded gross margins by 160 bps to 32.1%. Construction activity remained healthy across our markets, and utilization rates remained high across our network. Cash flow from operations increased 18%, to $175.6 million.
“During the quarter, we continued to drive shareholder value by prudently investing in strategic growth and returning capital to shareholders. We completed two investments: a cement distribution terminal in Nashville, which expands and improves the resilience of our cement geographic footprint in a strong and growing southeastern market, and an aggregates asset contiguous with our existing northern Nevada operation. We also returned $110 million of cash to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends, bringing total cash returned to shareholders to $230 million in the first half of the year.”
Haack continued, “In our heavy materials business, as demand remained strong and our operations remained virtually sold-out, we implemented a second round of cement price increases in early July and announced the next round of price increases for early January 2023. In our light materials sector, the backlog of housing construction activity supported steady wallboard shipments and orders, but we recognize the significant increase in interest rates will likely have an impact on residential construction activity in the future. Despite actions taken by the federal reserve to increase interest rates and possible recessionary conditions, we believe we are well-positioned in our principal markets for the second half of fiscal 2023.”
Revenue in the Heavy Materials sector, which includes Cement, Concrete and Aggregates, Joint Venture and intersegment Cement revenue, was $389.1 million, a 14% increase. Heavy Materials operating earnings were up 10% to $106.1 million, primarily because of higher Cement sales prices.
Cement revenue for the quarter, including Joint Venture and intersegment revenue, was up 11% to $319.5 million, and operating earnings were a record $98.8 million, up 11%. These increases reflect higher Cement net sales prices partially offset by lower sales volume.
The average net sales price for the quarter was up 12% to $132.50 per ton. Cement sales volume decreased 2% to 2.1 million tons. Cement sales volume and operating earnings at our Joint Venture both declined during the quarter primarily because of extended equipment downtime, which reduced cement production. While these equipment issues were mostly resolved during the quarter, they may continue to have an impact on the Joint Venture’s results during the third quarter.
Concrete and Aggregates revenue increased 32% to $69.6 million, reflecting higher sales volume and Concrete pricing as well as the contribution of approximately $14 million from a recently acquired business in northern Colorado. Second quarter operating earnings declined 3% to $7.3 million, primarily reflecting higher input costs.