CRH reported that total revenues of $6.8 billion (Q1 2024: $6.5 billion) were 3% ahead as contributions from acquisitions and strong commercial management more than offset the impact of divestitures and lower activity levels due to adverse weather in many regions.
The company’s net loss of $98 million (Q1 2024 net income: $114 million) was behind the prior year, with a solid underlying operating performance offset by the non-recurrence of gains on prior year divestitures.
Americas Materials Solutions’ total revenues were 2% ahead of Q1 2024, driven by continued pricing progress across all lines of business along with positive contributions from acquisitions, which offset the effects of lower activity due to weather disruption in many regions.
Americas Building Solutions’ total revenues were 1% behind Q1 2024 as contributions from acquisitions and strong performances in the water and energy markets were offset by weather-impacted demand. Adjusted EBITDA declined by 7% due to adverse weather and subdued residential activity.
International Solutions’ total revenues were 7% ahead of Q1 2024, driven by good contributions from acquisitions and continued pricing progress, more than offsetting the impact of lower activity levels due to challenging weather in certain markets.
In the three months ended March 31, 2025, CRH completed eight acquisitions for a total consideration of $0.6 billion, compared with $2.2 billion in the first quarter of 2024. Americas Materials Solutions completed five acquisitions, the largest of which being Talley Construction, a vertically integrated asphalt and paving company with operations in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina, while Americas Building Solutions completed three acquisitions.
With respect to divestitures, CRH realized proceeds from divestitures and disposals of long-lived assets of $0.1 billion, compared with $0.7 billion in the first quarter of the prior year.
Jim Mintern, chief executive officer, said, “The strength of our first quarter performance reflects the benefits of our differentiated strategy, good commercial management and contributions from acquisitions. Although the first quarter is typically the seasonally least significant period for our business, we are encouraged by the continued strength of underlying demand across our key markets. Our relentless focus on financial control and discipline enabled us to maintain our strong balance sheet in the first quarter. Notwithstanding the current macroeconomic uncertainty, the outlook for our business remains positive and we are pleased to reaffirm our financial guidance for 2025, leaving us well positioned for another year of growth and value creation ahead.”