Southern Province Cement 1Q profit up

Saudi cement producer Southern Province Cement Co reported a net profit after zakat and tax of SAR183m (US$48.8m) for the first quarter of 2020, up 52.5 per cent from SAR120m in the 1Q19.

First-quarter 2020 sales increased 33.6 per cent to SAR457m from SAR342m in the year-ago period. Local sales volumes were up 27.5 per cent YoY and export sales advanced 48.6 per cent YoY in the 1Q20.

Financial costs fell by 31.1 per cent YoY.