Mexican cement maker Cemex lowers guidance after weather dents quarterly profit
Adds share move in paragraph 7, analyst comment in paragraph 12
By Natalia Siniawski
Oct 28 (Reuters) -Mexico's Cemex CEMEXCPO.MX, one of the world's largest cement producers, reported a 9% year-on-year drop in third quarter core earnings, blaming the impact of adverse weather across its markets and negative foreign exchange effects.
Cemex reported quarterly earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $747 million, while net sales fell 3% from the same period last year to $4.09 billion.
The company attributed just under half of the EBITDA shortfall to weather-related disruptions.
Cemex also revised its full-year EBITDA guidance, lowering it from a previously expected low-to-mid single-digit increase to a low single-digit increase.
Harsh weather disrupts supply chains and construction projects, impacting demand and squeezing profits for companies like Cemex.
Shares in the company fell by nearly 10% in early trade on Mexico's main stock exchange.
Scotiabank cut its target price to $8.90 a share following the report, with U.S.-listed shares also down around 10% to $5.36 each.
Despite the challenging conditions, net income more than tripled to $406 million as a result of portfolio optimization and efficiency measures, the company said in a statement.
However, the tough operating environment in Mexico and the United States - its two largest markets - resulted in a 5% drop in sales in the former and a 4% decline in the latter, even though Cemex raised prices.
Foreign earnings declined as the Mexican peso weakened by more than 13% against the U.S. dollar year-on-year by the end of September.
Chief Executive Fernando Gonzalez said Cemex was focused on expanding in the U.S. and deleveraging. Divestitures worth $1.4 billion during the third quarter brought the total announced divestitures of non-core assets to $2.2 billion for the year to date, he said.
"Forget about the quarter," analysts at Scotiabank wrote. "The pathway to (becoming) leaner and focused is what matters."
Reporting by Natalia Siniawski and Kylie Madry; Editing by David Latona and Barbara Lewis
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