Finance
Swiss chemical maker Sika’s nine-month sales rise 5.5%
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
(Reuters) -Swiss industrial and construction chemicals
(Reuters) -Swiss industrial and construction chemicals company Sika reported a 5.5% increase in sales for the first nine months of 2024 on Friday, and confirmed its outlook for the year.
The company, whose chemical additives are used to strengthen and waterproof building materials in walls, floors and roofs, said sales rose to 8.91 billion Swiss francs ($10.29 billion) in the nine months through September.
Sales increased 9.1% when measured in local currencies, which removes the translation effect of the Swiss franc.
Earnings before interest, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose 13.2% to 1.7 billion francs, Sika said.
Chief Executive Thomas Hasler said the growth was mainly due to a large number of infrastructure projects, reshoring activities in North America and strong demand for semiconductor plants and data centers.
Sika, whose results are considered an indicator of the health of the construction industry, said its sales into the sector increased by 11.3% in local currencies.
This made up for the weaknesses in the automotive sector, where Sika supplies adhesives and soundproofing products to carmakers. Sales for industrial manufacturing fell by 2.1% in local currencies.
The company also maintained its full-year guidance, saying it still expects a 6%-9% increase in sales, when measured in local currencies, and a bigger increase in EBITDA. ($1 = 0.8661 Swiss francs)
(Reporting by John Revill and Surbhi Misra; Editing by Savio D’Souza)
EBITDA stands for Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization. It is a measure of a company's overall financial performance and profitability.
Chemical additives are substances added to materials to enhance their properties, such as strength, durability, or resistance to moisture.
Local currency sales growth refers to the increase in sales revenue measured in the currency of the country where the sales occur, excluding the effects of currency fluctuations.
The construction industry encompasses all activities related to the building, renovation, and maintenance of structures and infrastructure.
Reshoring is the process of bringing manufacturing and services back to the home country from overseas, often to reduce costs and improve supply chain efficiency.
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