Heidelberg Materials closed the past financial year with a record result. The company increased its revenue slightly by 1% in comparison with the previous year to €21.5 billion (previous year: €21.2 billion), despite some declines in volumes in individual Group areas.
The result from current operations (RCO) increased by 6% to a record high of €3.4 billion, thanks to strict cost discipline and active price management. The RCOBD margin increased to 21.8% (previous year: 21.3%).
Adjusted earnings per share rose by 4% to €12.41. The return on invested capital (ROIC) rose to 10.4%, significantly exceeding the previous year’s figure (previous year: 9.9%). Free cash flow remained at a very high level of €2.1 billion. Specific net CO₂ emissions fell by a further 3% to 512 kg/t of cementitious material. The share of revenue from sustainable products rose further to 37.2% (previous year: 35.3%).
“Last year, we once again demonstrated that we can successfully maintain our growth trajectory even in a persistently challenging environment,” said Dr. Dominik von Achten, chairman of the managing board of Heidelberg Materials. “Our consistent focus on strict cost management contributed significantly to this excellent result. At the same time, we benefit from our diversified geographical presence and clear focus on our core business. This enables us to accelerate our growth even in volatile times. Against this backdrop, we continued our disciplined portfolio optimisation in the past financial year and strengthened our position with attractive company acquisitions, particularly in key markets.
“The opening of Brevik CCS, the world’s first industrial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility in the cement industry, marks a turning point on the path to net-zero emissions. Across Europe, our customers are already using the world’s first carbon captured near-zero cement evoZero in their flagship projects – paving the way to a sustainable future. Brevik is just the beginning: Following the successful completion of a funding agreement with the UK Government, our CCS project in Padeswood, United Kingdom, has entered the implementation phase. There, we will operate the world’s first cement plant with a nearly completely decarbonized manufacturing process.
“We also underscore our pioneering role in our industry with our conventional decarbonization measures. We were able to reduce our specific net CO₂ emissions once again. We have significantly increased the use of alternative fuels, further reduced the proportion of clinker in our products, and consistently expanded the share of revenue from sustainable products. In this way, we are setting new standards throughout the industry across all key sustainability indicators.
“With our Strategy 2030, we set out a clear path for accelerated growth and higher profitability in the past financial year. Today, our company is better positioned than ever to continue its growth path and expand our leading position. Our building materials form the foundation for the world of tomorrow: from the energy transition to infrastructure development and residential construction to defense and digitalization. To this end, we will continue to focus our efforts on markets with attractive growth potential and drive our portfolio optimisation in a disciplined manner.
“We are optimistic about the current 2026 financial year. Even though the construction sector remains volatile in some regions, we expect our core markets to continue to stabilise. We therefore expect that results will once again grow in the current year. With our ongoing share buyback program and our progressive dividend policy, our shareholders will continue to participate significantly in the company’s success,” von Achten concluded.
