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Informist, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026

MUMBAI – Cement stocks are expected to underperform in the coming week due to lack of fresh triggers. The lower-than-expected December quarter net profit posted by Ambuja Cements, a major cement player, also gave cues for the cement sector sentiment to remain weak in the near term.

"The cement companies will remain rangebound in the coming days, while any announcement on the infrastructure segment from the Budget (Union Budget for 2026-27 (Apr-Mar)) could be a near-term sentiment booster," said Jatin Gedia, technical research analyst at Sharekhan. However, he expects no trend reversal in the sector.

Brokerage firm Elara Securities expects the cement sector's margin in the March quarter to improve on the back of operating leverage and modest price hikes. "Cement prices have begun to break the prolonged lull in early Q4FY26 (Jan-Mar), supported by seasonal demand improvement after festival disruptions and a gradual revival in construction activity," the brokerage said. It also sees a stronger margin expansion in the June quarter of FY27, which is likely to be driven by larger price hikes.

Cement dealers remain optimistic on gradual improvement in market sentiment. They expect demand and prices to strengthen in the upcoming weeks, despite harsh winter conditions across North India, festival-related disruptions in South India and Gujarat, and construction ban in Delhi, the brokerage said.

Ambuja Cements' December quarter bottom line fell sharply and missed Street's expectations by a wide margin due to rise in power and fuel expenses and a fall in cement prices. However, its top line rose sharply and surpassed estimates due to increase in sales volume. Friday, shares of the company ended almost 5% lower at INR 510.15 on the National Stock Exchange.

TOP HEADLINES

* JK Cement commissions 3 mtpa cement grinding unit in Buxar, Bihar

* Earnings Outlook: Lower realisations to hit Ambuja Cements' Q3 PAT

* Earnings Review: ACC topline rises in Q3 on record cement sales; PAT slips

* Earnings Outlook:ACC Q3 earnings seen up YoY on higher volumes, realisations

* Analyst Concall: UltraTech expects EBITDA/tonne to improve in coming qtrs

* Earnings Review: UltraTech Q3 PAT up 27% YoY, beats Street estimates

* India Cements Oct-Dec net loss narrows on year to INR 57.2 million

Following are the resistance and support levels for key cement stocks for next week as per calculations based on their prices on the National Stock Exchange:

End

US$1 = INR 91.98

Reported by Arundathi A R

Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury

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