US: Eagle Materials recorded sales of US$875m in the six months between 1 April 2020 and 30 September 2020, the first half of its 2020 financial year, up by 16% year-on-year from US$756m in the first half of the 2019 financial year. Gypsum wallboard sales were 132Mm², up by 6% from 125Mm², while net earnings rose by 70% to US$192m from US$113m.

President and chief executive officer (CEO) Michael Haack said, “We are pleased to have delivered another quarter of record revenue and net earnings growth while further strengthening our balance sheet. Our end markets remain resilient as Covid-19-related uncertainty persists.” He added that, “the housing market continued its strong rebound” and that wallboard shipments rose by 6% in the second quarter. Good operating cash flow and a tax refund helped the company increase its earnings ‘significantly’ in the reporting period.

France: Saint-Gobain’s like-for-like sales fell by 7.2% year-on-year to Euro27.9bn in the first nine months of 2020 from Euro32.4bn in the same period in 2019. Particular declines were noted in its High Performance Solutions and Asia Pacific divisions. However, overall sales improved by 3.2% year-on-year to Euro10.1bn in the third quarter of 2020.

The group noted that in North America growth in the third quarter was, “driven by volumes in exterior solutions and gypsum in a much better environment for prices, which were up overall.” It also noted a ‘sharp’ increase in its gypsum sales, continuing a trend from the second quarter and capturing additional market share.

Saudi Arabia: National Gypsum’s net sales in the first nine months of 2020 were US$22.0m, up by 82% year-on-year from US$12.1m in the corresponding period of 2019. Net profit rose significantly to US$8.60m from US$416,000.

Australia/Singapore: Knauf has agreed to buy Boral’s 50% stake in USG Boral for US$1.02bn, bringing its total stake in the former Boral and US-based USG joint venture to 100%. The joint-venture includes gypsum wallboard-based businesses in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Middle East. The deal is “subject to typical conditions precedent including in relation to regulatory matters.”

Boral chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director Zlatko Todorcevski said, “We have been working with Knauf for some time to find the best path forward for the business following Knauf’s acquisition of our joint venture partner USG. We recognise that it makes sense for Knauf – being the world’s largest gypsum wallboard player – to have 100% ownership of the business. USG Boral is a great business, and very well positioned to perform strongly under the ownership of Knauf. The strength of the joint venture business and its prospects are fully reflected in the sale price, as demonstrated by the attractive premium, which is a great outcome for Boral shareholders. The sale of Boral’s interest in USG Boral to Knauf will be a step to simplifying Boral’s geographic footprint and product portfolio.”