from LAFARGEHOLCIM LTD (EPA:LHN)
Strong first half with 11.5% organic growth in recurring EBIT, guidance upgraded
Holcim Group Services Ltd / Key word(s): Half Year Results
Miljan Gutovic, CEO: “I thank all of our 50 000 employees worldwide for their contributions to our strong half-year results, as we continue to deliver on our NextGen Growth 2030 strategy with impeccable execution. “In H1, we achieved strong profitable growth with an industry-leading recurring EBIT margin, while completing two value-accretive, strategic acquisitions: Xella across 22 European markets and a majority stake in Cementos Pacasmayo in Peru. These acquisitions will accelerate NextGen Growth 2030 by expanding high-value Building Solutions and growing our footprint in the attractive Latin America region. “Holcim delivered strong organic growth in net sales in the first half, driven by its leading positions in highly attractive markets. There was double-digit organic growth in recurring EBIT, while our 18.1% margin resulted from increased customer demand for our sustainable offering, strict cost discipline and operational excellence. “Building on our strong results and our resilient and proven business model across all economic cycles and market conditions, we upgrade our full-year 2026 guidance.”
¹ From continuing operations.
Profitable growth continues
Net sales of CHF 7 925 million in the first half of the year were up 5.2% organically compared to the same period in the prior year. Momentum accelerated in the second quarter, with a 6.4% organic increase.
Recurring EBIT in the first half of the year grew over-proportionally compared to net sales to
Holcim’s earnings per share before impairment and divestments from continuing operations in the first half of 2026 were CHF 1.69, up 7.4% compared to the prior-year period.
Free cash flow was CHF 36 million in H1 2026, compared to CHF 156 million in H1 2025, on track to achieve full-year 2026 guidance of around CHF 2 billion.
Focused investments in attractive markets
Holcim is continuing to invest in highly attractive markets, both organically and through value-accretive M&A. In the first half of the year, Holcim closed seven transactions, comprising six acquisitions and one divestment.
Building Materials was strengthened with two acquisitions for the cement and aggregates business: in addition to Cementos Pacasmayo, Holcim acquired Uranus Pluton SRL in Romania.
Building Solutions expanded with four acquisitions: in addition to Xella, Holcim completed three acquisitions for ready-mix concrete: Jacobs NV in Belgium, Josef Klösters Kies & Beton GmbH in Germany, and the ready-mix business of Stevenson Group in New Zealand.
Holcim also closed the divestment of its operations in Lebanon, including activities in Cyprus.
Sustainability driving profitable growth
In the first half of 2026, net sales of Holcim’s ECOPact were 30%1 of total ready-mix concrete net sales, while net sales of ECOPlanet amounted to 40%1 of total cement net sales.
Holcim is accelerating circular construction using ECOCycle technology. In the first half of 2026, Holcim increased the volume of recycled construction demolition materials by 36% to 4.7 million tons1 compared to the prior-year period. With the acquisition of Xella, Holcim added 22 circular construction hubs to its footprint, bringing the total to 134 in the first half of the year.
Guidance 2026 upgraded
Holcim’s NextGen Growth 2030 strategy will continue to drive superior performance and value creation. Building on its strong first half-year results, Holcim upgrades its FY2026 guidance2:
1 Excluding large acquisitions. 2 Previous FY2026 guidance: 3% to 5% organic growth in net sales; 8% to 10% organic growth in recurring EBIT.
Group results by product line
Holcim’s two customer-focused product lines are Building Materials and Building Solutions, both providing customers end-to-end solutions from foundation and flooring to walling and roofing, across the built environment from infrastructure and industry to buildings.
Building Materials covers an extensive range of cement and aggregates for customers, focusing on decarbonized cement and circular aggregates. Building Solutions comprises energy-efficient building systems and high-performance concrete and surfacing.
Regional segment performance
Europe Europe saw strong net sales, accelerating in Q2, driven by Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Greece, and East Europe, with a positive contribution from the Alkern acquisition. The recurring EBIT margin was up 20 bps for the first half versus the prior-year period. Positive momentum in residential building permits continues in France, Germany, and Poland, contributing to a strong outlook supported by infrastructure investments in Central and East Europe, from roads to tunnels and airports.
¹ French West Indies, previously reflected under Latin America, is now reported under the geographical region of Europe to align with the current internal management structure. This change has been applied retrospectively, and prior-year figures have been restated accordingly.
Latin America Latin America delivered strong organic growth in net sales of 6.2% in the first half, driven by Mexico, Ecuador, and Central America. The region is consistently delivering a recurring EBIT margin above 30%. Cementos Pacasmayo contributed positively to second-quarter results. For the outlook, demand for housing and infrastructure is high in Mexico, Peru, and Central America; Holcim is supplying the region’s largest social housing project in Ecuador with ECOPact, to be completed by 2030.
Asia, Middle East & Africa The region delivered excellent organic growth in net sales and recurring EBIT in the first half, with continued margin expansion reaching 25.7%, up 80 bps. ECOCycle was launched in Australia to accelerate circular construction. With favorable demand trends in North Africa and Australia, strong growth is expected to continue, driven by residential and large-scale infrastructure projects. For example, in Australia, Holcim is supplying Sydney’s Western Parkland City with ECOPact.
Reconciliation to Group accounts Reconciling measures of profit and loss to the Holcim Group’s Condensed Interim Consolidated Statement of Income
The indicators presented in the table below relate only to continuing operations.
Reconciling measures of free cash flow to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows
The indicators presented in the table below relate only to continuing operations.
Reconciling measures of net financial debt to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Statement of Financial Position
Additional information Alternative performance measures definitions Some alternative performance measures are used in this release to help describe the performance of Holcim. A full set of these alternative performance definitions can be found on our website.
Analyst presentation and 2026 Half-Year Report The analyst presentation of the Half-Year 2026 Results and the 2026 Half-Year Report are available on our website.
Media call: 09:00 CEST Analyst conference (webcast): 10:00 CEST To participate in the analyst’s conference, please register here.
About Holcim Learn more about Holcim on www.holcim.com, and by following us on LinkedIn. Sign up for Holcim's Building Progress newsletter here. Important disclaimer – forward-looking statements: End of Inside Information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2374898 31-Jul-2026 CET/CEST