Heidelberg Materials with strong growth trajectory in the second quarter
- Revenue rises to €6,044 million (previous year: €5,683 million)
- Result¹ climbs to €1,086 million (previous year: €1,048 million)
- Margin² at 23.4% (previous year: 24.2%)
- Portfolio optimisation drives additional growth: acquisitions in North America and Turkey
- Further progress in sustainability: new kiln line in Airvault, France; Padeswood CCS, UK, construction on schedule
- Outlook for the financial year 2026 specified: RCO between €3.40 billion and €3.65 billion
“In an environment that remains geopolitically and economically very challenging, we generated strong momentum in the second quarter. A first noticeable recovery in demand in our core markets contributed to the good business performance,” said Dr Dominik von Achten, Chairman of the Managing Board of Heidelberg Materials.
“In addition, we further accelerated our growth through strategic transactions. With acquisitions in North America and Turkey, we have continued to expand our presence in attractive markets. We expect a good second half of the year and are confident that we will achieve our specified outlook for the financial year 2026.”
The company increased its revenue significantly by €361 million or 6% to €6,044 million (previous year: 5,683). The result from current operations (RCO) climbed by €38 million or 4% to €1,086 million (previous year: 1,048). The RCOBD margin was at 23.4% (previous year: 24.2%). Adjusted earnings per share increased by €0.09 to €4.47 in the first six months of 2026.
Portfolio optimisation drives additional growth
On 1 April 2026, Heidelberg Materials completed the acquisition of the significant assets of BURNCO Rock Products Ltd, Canada. The acquisition includes six aggregates sites, two asphalt mixing facilities, a bitumen storage terminal, three ready-mixed concrete plants, and one rail-served cement terminal.
On 19 May 2026, Heidelberg Materials North America acquired a 10% minority stake in AmeriTex Holding LLC. Its subsidiary AmeriTex Pipe & Products is a supplier of reinforced concrete pipes, box culverts and precast concrete parts in Texas, USA. The transaction includes long-term supply agreements intended to accelerate the growth of both companies.
On 18 June 2026, Heidelberg Materials completed the transaction to acquire a majority stake in Akçansa. The company had announced in April that it would increase its stake in the Turkish building materials producer from 39.72% to 79.44%. With this step, Heidelberg Materials is strengthening its strategic position with a focus on Turkey and the Mediterranean region.
As part of its portfolio optimisation, Heidelberg Materials completed the sale of 100% of its shares in Bukhtarma Cement Company LLP, Kazakhstan, on 8 July 2026.
Further progress in sustainability
In the second quarter, Heidelberg Materials made further progress in the sustainable transformation of its production and building materials. The share of revenue from sustainable products increased to 38% in the first half of 2026, while specific net CO₂ emissions were 510 kg of CO₂ per tonne of cementitious material, in line with the previous year.
In May 2026, Heidelberg Materials commissioned a state-of-the-art kiln line with a capacity of 1.25 million tonnes per year at its Airvault cement plant in the French New Aquitaine region. The new plant sets new standards in operational efficiency and decarbonisation. The carbon footprint of the cement produced at the plant can be reduced by almost 30% compared with previous production.
The construction of the carbon capture facility in Padeswood, UK, is progressing according to plan. The project uses evoZero® , our carbon captured near-zero cement based on carbon capture and storage from our Brevik plant in Norway .
Our project partners are also using evoZero® in the construction of the world's first 3D-printed supermarket in Neubulach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany , combining innovative building materials with digital construction processes.
Improvements in productivity and efficiency
The Transformation Accelerator Initiative launched in 2024 remains on track and has already generated significant savings of a total of €440 million. Its focus is on optimising the production network, cross-functional efficiency gains and technical initiatives on a global level. Given the positive progress to date, Heidelberg Materials is confident that it will exceed the target of €500 million in savings by the end of 2026.
Focus remains on shareholder return
The third and final tranche of the ongoing share buyback programme was launched on 21 May 2026. The current share buyback programme has a total duration of up to three years and a volume of €1.2 billion. The third tranche, with a planned volume of up to €450 million, is expected to be completed by 15 December 2026 at the latest.
Outlook for 2026 specified
Heidelberg Materials expects demand in the construction sector to further stabilise. The focus remains on price adjustments and strict cost management.
The Managing Board specifies the outlook from the Annual and Sustainability Report 2025 and now expects RCO between €3.40 billion and €3.65 billion (previously between €3.40 billion and €3.75 billion). ROIC is still expected to be slightly above 10%.
For specific net CO₂ emissions per tonne of cementitious material, the Managing Board expects the value to be around the previous year’s level as a result of the first-time consolidation of Akçansa.
An overview of our financial figures for the first half of 2026 can be found in the Half-year financial report 2026 and in Business figures January to June 2026 under Reports and Presentations.
¹ RCO = result from current operations
² RCOBD margin = result from current operations before depreciation and amortisation as a percentage of revenue
- About Heidelberg Materials
Heidelberg Materials is one of the world's largest integrated manufacturers of heavy building materials and solutions with leading market positions in cement, aggregates, and ready-mixed concrete. Around 49,000 employees in almost 50 countries shape our growth path. Drawing on our global advantage, we create synergies in the areas of sustainability, digitalisation, and technical excellence. As the industry’s front runner on the path to Net Zero, we enable our customers to lead the way towards a more sustainable future through our growing offering of low-carbon and circular building materials.