Shares of building materials supplier and lime producer Adelaide Brighton Ltd. (ASX: ABC) could be set to fly today after the company reported strong full year earnings growth ahead of consensus estimates.
The results.
On the top line management reported an increase in revenue of 5.4% to $1.4 billion. As we make our way down to the bottom line things look even better. Net profit after tax came in a fantastic 25.6% higher than last year at $209.2 million, and earnings per share increased from 26.9 cents to 32 cents.
Management has also declared a special dividend of 4 cents per share, on top of the final ordinary dividend of 11 cents. This brings the total full year dividend to a fully franked 27 cents per share, well ahead of what the market was expecting.
The market had been expecting full year earnings per share to come in at 29.6 cents, and a total full year dividend of 20.8 cents.
Management has put the results down to healthy residential construction activity, as well as its acquisitions performing well and contributing strongly to revenue. All of its core segments performed well, producing improved operational efficiencies which helped earnings grow at a greater rate than revenue.
Looking ahead.
One thing I do like about Adelaide Brighton is how diversified it is geographically and operationally. There is not one state which contributes more than 25% of total revenue, nor is there a particular segment which accounts for more than 35% of its revenue. This should provide the company's financial performance with a decent level of protection from any slowdowns which occur in a particular state or segment.
For me, Adelaide Brighton is a great investment which I would put ahead of industry rivals such as Fletcher Building Limited (Australia) (ASX: FBU), James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX), and DuluxGroup Limited (ASX: DLX). Management offered a positive industry outlook for 2016 which I find encouraging. By being the market leader in lime production, concrete production, and cement importation, I feel the company is positioned to provide shareholders with good returns in the years ahead.
