Australian building materials supplier James Hardie Industries on Wednesday raised its full-year profit forecast and said it expected to post record second-quarter results, boosted by solid demand for its services across markets.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic related shutdowns hammered sales earlier in the year, there has been a recovery in Asia Pacific and European markets.
James Hardie, the world's biggest fibre cement maker, said the all-time high quarterly sales were "made possible by having all three operating regions deliver growth above market."
In August, it said sales in North America, one of its biggest markets, were buyoed by homeowners turning to renovation amid the pandemic.
The company increased its fiscal 2021 forecast for underlying net operating profit after tax (NOPAT) to between $380 million and $420 million, from an earlier projection of $330 million and $390 million.
It will report its second quarter results on Nov. 10.
(Reporting by Anushka Trivedi and Nikhil Kurian Nainan in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese and Shinjini Ganguli)
