US: Eagle Materials’ nine-month gypsum wallboard sales rose by 5% year-on-year to US$120m in the period ending on 31 December 2020 from US$114m. Volumes increased by 7% to 200Mm2 from 187Mm2. Group sales rose by 16% to US$1.28bn from US$1.10bn. Net earnings were US$273m, compared to a loss of US$1.54m in the first nine months of its 2020 financial year.
President and chief executive officer Michael Haack praised the performance in the quarter which ended on 31 December 2020, saying, “Despite continued pandemic-related economic uncertainty, our wallboard shipments were up by 9%, a third quarter record for American Gypsum. We continued to generate strong operating cash flow, which significantly improved our balance sheet and liquidity position providing us with increased financial flexibility.” He added, “As we continue to navigate the Covid-19 environment, I want to thank our team for their exceptional work under extraordinary circumstances, delivering strong results and keeping our strategic projects on schedule. We continue to closely monitor the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and their possible impact on our business in current and future periods. We also continue to enforce strict health and safety protocols to protect our employees, customers and business partners, and we will continue to manage our cash flow prudently and protect our balance sheet.”