Quarterly profits dip for cement maker Cemex on weaker Mexican peso, bad weather
Adds guidance in paragraph 11, share price in paragraph 12
By Natalia Siniawski
July 25 (Reuters) -Mexico's Cemex CEMEXCPO.MX, one of the world's largest cement producers, reported a slight dip in its second-quarter net profit on Thursday, mainly due to currency exchange losses stemming from a weakerMexican peso.
Cemex posted a $230 million net profit for the April-to-June period, slightly lower than the year-agoperiod.
Like many Mexican firms operating abroad, Cemex saw its foreign earnings diluted by a stronger Mexican peso last year, butthe currency was down nearly7% compared tothe U.S. dollar in the second quarter.
Despite higher prices in local currency terms, Cemexrevenue for the quarter was flatat $4.5 billion, below anLSEG forecast of nearly$4.7 billion.
The company said highersales in Mexico, as well as in South America and CentralAmerica, were offset by declines in its U.S., European, Middle Eastern and African markets.
It added that adverseweather also contributed to lower volumes and stagnating revenue.
In Mexico, Cemex's largest market, sales rose 6% year-on-year, despite June's weather-related disruptions.
Sales in SouthAmerica, Central America and the Caribbean were up3% compared to last year, the company said, whileU.S. revenues and volumes fell slightly, largely due to poor weather.
Sales fell 7% year-on-year in Europe, the Middle East and Africa dueto sluggish demand and geopolitical turmoil, Cemex added.
The company noted that thesale of its Philippines operations, announced in the first quarter, was expected to close by the end of the year.
During a conference call later on Thursday, executives said that despite the looming change of administration in Mexico, the company expects "good tailwinds" in the key market. The company also updated its guidance for energy costs per ton of cement produced in 2024, adjusting it from a mid-single digit decrease to a high-single digit decrease.
After the call, Cemex shares were up by about 2.3%, reversing a fall of some 3% after the quarterly results were released when morning trading began.
Reporting by Natalia Siniawski; Editing by Milla Nissi and David Alire Garcia
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