Lafarge, the world's biggest cement maker, reported a 2.2 percent rise in first-quarter sales as prices improved, but bad winter weather in Europe offset some of the gains. Lafarge generated sales of 2.95 billion euros ($3.79 billion) in the three months to end-March, compared with 2.88 billion a year ago, for a 1.9 percent rise on a like-for-like basis that strips out acquisitions, disposals and currency effects. A Reuters survey of five analysts had forecast sales in a 2.86 billion to 2.96 billion euro range.
The shares were up 1.1 percent at 71.30 euros by 0800 GMT, compared with a 0.5 percent rise in the Paris benchmark CAC 40 index.
"This is a rather encouraging evolution in light of the price element," French brokerage CM-CIC said in a morning note on Lafarge.
Industry analysts cautioned that first-quarter sales figures were not necessarily representative of full-year trends because of heavy seasonal effects.
Lafarge Finance Director Jean-Jacques Gauthier said the first-quarter trend did not alter the company's view for the year, "for which we expect overall favourable market conditions".
Lafarge's sales figures follow results from Swiss rival Holcim, which said on Monday that tough winter weather and higher energy costs had weighed on sales and operating earnings, pushing its quarterly results below forecasts.
Lafarge said its key cement business showed a 2.1 percent rise in sales on the back of strong demand and price increases in North America, whose full impact it said would continue throughout the year.
Price increases were also realised in many of its western European markets but sales were down in the region, reflecting harsher winter weather than in the year-ago quarter and a slowdown in demand in Greece after the Olympic Games wound down.
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