Holcim Group Services Ltd announced its financial results for the first nine months and the third quarter of 2026, reporting broad-based organic growth and an upward revision to its full-year guidance. During the first nine months of the year, total net sales grew organically by 5.2 percent to reach CHF 12,586 million, compared to CHF 11,906 million in the corresponding period of the previous year. Momentum accelerated in the third quarter, during which sales climbed by 15.5 percent in Swiss francs to CHF 4,662 million, up from CHF 4,036 million a year earlier.
The company's recurring earnings before interest and taxes (recurring EBIT) advanced organically by 11.8 percent across the first nine months to CHF 2,414 million, improving from CHF 2,275 million in the prior-year period. In the third quarter alone, recurring EBIT rose by 16.8 percent in Swiss francs to reach CHF 976 million, compared to CHF 836 million in the third quarter of 2025. Profitability also improved as the recurring EBIT margin for the nine-month period widened by 10 basis points to 19.2 percent. For the third quarter, the recurring EBIT margin reached 20.9 percent, representing a 20 basis point increase over the same period last year.
Chief Executive Officer Miljan Gutovic attributed the performance to heightened customer demand for high-value offerings, strict cost discipline, and operational execution across global markets. The group continued to pursue its strategic expansion through targeted mergers and acquisitions, completing a total of 11 transactions since the beginning of the year, comprising 10 acquisitions and one divestment. Within the Building Materials division, acquisitions included Cementos Pacasmayo, AFC Recycling and Cem'In'Eu Group in France, and Uranus Pluton SRL in Romania. The Building Solutions division expanded via transactions involving Xella, ready-mix concrete operations including 3B and BHR's concrete business in France, Jacobs NV in Belgium, Josef Klösters Kies & Beton GmbH in Germany, and the ready-mix concrete business of Stevenson Group in New Zealand. Furthermore, Holcim completed the sale of its operations in Lebanon, which included Cyprus-based activities, and signed an agreement to divest its business in the Philippines.
In August, Holcim entered into a binding agreement to acquire Fermacell from James Hardie Industries plc. Fermacell operates as a European provider of wall and flooring solutions, generating an expected revenue of approximately EUR 430 million for 2026. The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, with completion anticipated during the first half of 2027.
Sustainability initiatives continued to influence product adoption. Sales of the low-carbon concrete ECOPact accounted for 33 percent of total ready-mix concrete sales in the first nine months of 2026, up from 32 percent a year prior. Meanwhile, sales of ECOPlanet reached 43 percent of total cement sales, compared to 36 percent during the same period in 2025. In circular construction, the volume of recycled construction and demolition materials increased by one-third to reach 7.4 million tonnes.
Performance across product lines showed positive contributions from both segments. Building Materials generated nine-month sales of CHF 8,903 million, representing organic growth of 6.3 percent. Building Solutions delivered nine-month sales of CHF 5,011 million, reflecting 3.3 percent organic growth.
Building on the results achieved in the first nine months, Holcim raised its full-year 2026 outlook. The company now projects organic recurring EBIT growth of 10 percent to 12 percent, alongside an organic revenue growth rate of approximately 5 percent. Additionally, management expects a further expansion of the recurring EBIT margin and a free cash flow generation of around CHF 2 billion.
