Ramco Cements ticks off asset sales, but pricing will decide the next leg of growth
₹515 crore to Prestige Estates Projects Ltd. With this transaction, cumulative non-core asset monetization has reached ₹1,017 crore, slightly exceeding the company’s stated guidance of ₹1,000 crore. Before the Prestige deal, Ramco had already monetized ₹502 crore of non-core assets.As of the end of September, Ramco carried a net debt of ₹4,591 crore, with a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.6x and an interest coverage ratio of 3.23x.
These metrics are manageable, but hardly comfortable for a company still navigating a capital-intensive capacity expansion phase.Cement remains a highly cyclical, fixed-cost-heavy business. Profitability hinges on pricing discipline, energy costs and the ability to sweat assets through higher utilisation. When pricing weakens, leverage can quickly become a constraint.Management has been clear that proceeds from non-core asset sales will be channelled towards debt reduction.
That has a direct payoff: lower interest costs, improved cash-flow resilience and reduced downside risk during periods of weak cement pricing.Growth has been muted in recent quarters. In the half-year ended September (H1FY26), revenue rose just 4% year-on-year despite a low base, reflecting softer demand and uneven pricing amid early monsoons. Capacity utilization during the period stood at 69%, leaving room for operating leverage as volumes recover.Ramco remains on track to scale its cement capacity to 30 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) by FY26, up from the current 24.4 mtpa.
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