In September 2024, Dalmia Bharat reported a significant decline in net profit, falling by 61.02% to Rs 46 crore compared to Rs 118 crore in the same month last year.

The company's profit before tax (PBT) also saw a substantial drop of 62%, decreasing from Rs 96.30 crore to Rs 37.03 crore during the same period.

Profit before depreciation and tax (PBDT) rose by 20% to Rs 66.48 crore, up from Rs 55.32 crore in September 2023, indicating some positive movement in operational performance.

However, the operating profit margin (OPM) decreased to 9.72% in September 2024, down from 26.61% a year earlier, highlighting challenges in profitability.

Overall, the financial results indicate a challenging quarter for Dalmia Bharat, with sharp declines across key financial metrics.

Following the announcement of these sluggish quarterly earnings for Q2 of FY2024-25, shares of Dalmia Bharat fell by 4.66% to Rs 1,764.05 during intraday trading.

On a half-year basis, consolidated net profit for Dalmia Bharat declined by 2.64% to Rs 64.73 crore in H1 FY25, down from Rs 66.49 crore in H1 FY24.

In a broader context, Darshan Orna also reported a significant decline in net profit of 81.44%, falling to Rs 0.18 crore for the quarter ending September 2024.

Sales for Dalmia Bharat decreased by 2.09% to Rs 3,087 crore compared to Rs 3,153 crore in September 2023.

The operating profit margin (OPM) for the company decreased from 18.81% in September 2023 to 14.71% in September 2024.

The overall financial landscape for many companies, including Dalmia Bharat, reflects significant challenges as they navigate through a tough economic environment.

Despite these challenges, Puneet Dalmia, MD and CEO, expressed confidence in the cement sector's growth and mentioned plans for Phase II expansions within the next nine months.