Argos 3Q 2018 Net Income Jumps 37% Year-on-Year
Medellin-based cement, electric power and road/airport concessionaire Grupo Argos announced November 14 that its third quarter (3Q) 2018 net income rose 37% year-on-year, hitting COP$410 billion (US$128 million).
As for nine-months 2018, Argos has posted an accumulated profit of COP$864 billion (US$269 million), up 31%.
Consolidated revenues of Grupo Argos in 3Q 2018 were COP$3.6 trillion (US$1.1 billion), “which is in line with adjusted revenues in the same quarter of the previous year,” according to the company.
The revenues were “supported by positive contributions from all the strategic businesses — cement, concessions and energy — that were COP$97 billion [US$30 million] higher than the same quarter of the previous year,” according to Argos.
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) hit COP$1.02 trillion (US$318 million) in 3Q 2018, with EBITDA margin at 28%.
Also in 3Q 2018, “Grupo Argos was recognized as the most sustainable company in the world of the construction materials industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index,” the company bragged.
The company added that it will start reporting during the next quarter “environmental, social and corporate governance” (ESG) data together with financial results.
On the electric power front, “Odinsa (through Opain) and Celsia, our subsidiaries in concessions and energy, began the installation of 10,000 solar panels that will generate 12% of the energy in [Bogota’s] El Dorado airport, which will consolidate it as the airport with the largest photovoltaic installation in Latin America,” according to Argos
Meanwhile, the under-construction “Pacifico 2” road concession in Antioquia “reached 100% of execution of ‘functional unit 1’ and has an overall works-compliance of 55%, with a 7% advance with respect to the schedule,” according to Argos.
On the cement front, “Cementos Argos closed a financing operation with a US$600 million syndicated loan which, in addition to the favorable impact in reducing the cost of debt without affecting the debt ratio, confirms the market’s confidence in the company,” according to Argos.
“Cement shipments grew 2% thanks to the better performance of the Colombian region, where we grew above the sector. At the same time, there were higher volumes of concrete sales, which grew by 3% in Colombia, thanks to higher shipments to civil works, demonstrating the leadership that Cementos Argos has taken in the infrastructure projects in the country,” the company added.
