Cement and clinker sales volumes fell by 3.1% in 2019 to 125.9 million t. Excluding consolidation effects, cement and clinker sales volumes were 1.6% below the previous year. Aggregates sales volumes were just under the previous year’s level, at 308.3 million t. Excluding consolidation effects, sales volumes fell by 1.2%. Ready-mixed concrete sales volumes were up by 3.4% in 2019 to 50.7 million m3. Excluding consolidation effects, they rose by 1.1%. The development of sales volumes resulted mainly from the company’s strategy of focusing more on necessary price increases than on sales volumes, which led to a decline in sales volumes in the fourth quarter of 2019, in particular. Sales volumes of the whole year 2019 were therefore slightly below expectations.
Group revenue rose by 4.3% to €18 851 million compared to the previous year. Like-for-like, the increase amounted to 2.1%. Lower revenue in trading business – caused especially by the trading of fuels with third parties that has been reduced for risk considerations in the fourth quarter of 2019 – contributed substantially to the revenue development which was slightly below expectations.
The result from current operations before depreciation and amortisation rose by 15.5% to €3 580 million. Like-for-like, the rise amounted to 2.5%. The result from current operations increased by 8.8% to €2186 million. Like-for-like, it rose by 4.7% and was thereby in line with the company’s expectations.
Net debt could be reduced again in the fourth quarter of 2019. It decreased to €7.1 billion before application of IFRS16 by the end of 2019 and thereby fell markedly below the already downward adjusted forecast from November 2019 of €7.4 billion.
The preliminary results for the fourth quarter and business year 2019 for the entire group and the individual group areas, will be presented as scheduled in a trading statement on 18 February 2020. The complete consolidated financial statements of HeidelbergCement including the outlook will be published on 19 March 2020.
