Thanks to the outstanding results of the first half of 2021, the outstanding generation of cash flow and the low financial leverage, Argos, the cement company of Grupo Argos, proposed to its shareholders, in the framework of an extraordinary meeting held on August 25, the payment of a dividend of 79.97 COP per common and preferred share. This dividend seeks to reward and recognize shareholders, especially minority ones, among which more than 10,000 natural persons stand out, for the trust and support they have given the company during the difficulties derived from the pandemic and its consequent economic effects.
92.66% of the shares represented at the meeting voted in favor of the extraordinary dividend, which will be paid in a single payment on September 7, 2021.
“The approval of this extraordinary dividend is a recognition of the decisive and fundamental support of our shareholders throughout the history of Argos, which today, after many challenging months of pandemic and social and economic uncertainty, we can sustain thanks to the good operational performance of the company , its deleveraging, the accelerated recovery of the countries and markets where we operate and the positive prospects for the future. With resilience and momentum, we will continue to trace paths that allow us to advance in our purpose of creating social value and transforming the lives of millions of people.».
Juan Esteban Calle
Argos CEO
Summary of corporate results:
- Consolidated revenues during the first semester were 4.8 trillion COP, an increase of 11% compared to the same period in 2020.
- The EBITDA * rose 27.7% and was 967,000 million COP. It is especially noteworthy that the adjusted EBITDA margin for the first semester, excluding the gain on the sale of concrete assets, reached a record of 20.2%, the highest since 2013.
- Concrete volumes decreased 1.6%.
- Cement shipments in these first six months were 8.6 million tons, which is equivalent to an increase of 26.9%.
- The company’s debt indicator measured as net debt to EBITDA closed the semester at a level of 3.1 times, the lowest since 2013.
Argos continues to reiterate its commitment to creating social value through job creation and the continuity of its social programs in the different territories where it operates.