Reuters
Holcim reported better than expected profit at the start of the year, the building materials and cement maker said on Thursday, despite the high value of the Swiss franc weighing on sales. The Swiss company, which is due to separate and spin off its North American business next year, reported recurring operating profit (EBIT) rising 7.8% to 532 million Swiss francs ($581.80 million), beating analyst forecasts for 501 million francs. Sales fell 2.4% to 5.59 billion francs, roughly in line with forecasts for 5.62 billion Swiss francs in a company gathered consensus.