Orient Cement Ltd — earnings calls

Ambuja Cements reported Q1 FY27 revenue of Rs 9,500 crore, operating EBITDA of Rs 1,589 crore and a 331 basis point improvement in EBITDA margin to 16.7%, alongside a net operating cost reduction of Rs 206 per metric ton sequentially. Management said trade volumes declined 2% year-on-year and non-trade volumes fell 21%, attributing this to a deliberate shift toward higher-margin trade sales, while overall capacity utilization stood at 65%. The company also discussed temporary suspension of some older manufacturing capacity, progress on its expansion projects, and cost-saving initiatives across logistics, renewable power and clinker factor reduction.

Ambuja Cements reported FY26 annual sales volume of 73.7 million tonnes, up 16% year-on-year, with normalized EBITDA of INR6,539 crores, up 31%, and PAT of INR2,647 crores, up 17%. Management said cost per tonne rose to INR4,500 in the March quarter due to higher freight, packing, fuel and branding costs, partly linked to newly acquired Sanghi and Penna assets running below expected utilization. For FY27, management guided to consolidated volumes of around 80 million tonnes, a moderated capacity expansion timeline, and a targeted cost reduction of INR250 per tonne from the March quarter peak.