Ambuja Cements first-quarter profit jumps four fold on higher sales volume

India's Ambuja Cements, part of global conglomerate LafargeHolcim Ltd, on Friday reported an over four-fold surge in first-quarter net profit, as higher cement sales volume and favourable pricing offset rising costs.

Net profit jumped to 2.47 billion rupees ($38.41 million) in the quarter ended March 31, from 535.1 million rupees in the year-ago period, the cement major said.

Analysts on average expected the manufacturer of clinkers and cement to post a profit of 2.62 billion rupees, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Cement sales volume rose 2.7 percent in the quarter to 6.02 million tonnes.