Story
China National Building Material Stock Plunges After H1 Profit Warning

Summary
Shares of the state-owned materials giant fell over 10% after it forecasted a significant net loss for the first half of 2026, citing weak prices and volumes amid a struggling Chinese property market.
Shares of China National Building Material Co Ltd (CNBM) plunged 10.5% to HK$3.85 on Wednesday after the company issued a profit warning, signaling deepening distress in China's construction sector.
The stock sell-off pushed the company's shares to a 52-week intraday low of HK$3.77 before a marginal recovery.
Swing to a Loss
CNBM announced it anticipates an unaudited net loss attributable to shareholders of approximately RMB 890 million (about $122 million) for the six months ending June 30, 2026. This represents a stark reversal from the RMB 1.36 billion profit recorded during the same period in 2025.
The company attributed the negative forecast to a combination of factors impacting its core business lines:
Ad- Lower selling prices for its primary products, including cement, ready-mix concrete, and aggregates.
- Weaker sales volumes for ready-mix concrete and gypsum products.
Broader Industry Headwinds
The warning confirms persistent pricing pressure and structural weakness within China's building materials industry. It follows a series of negative financial reports from the company, including a full-year net loss in 2025 and a loss in the first quarter of 2026. Several of its subsidiaries have also recently reported year-on-year declines in revenue and profit.
These company-specific issues are compounded by a challenging macroeconomic backdrop. China's property market continues to struggle with the fallout from developer defaults and a credit crunch. Furthermore, gross domestic product data released Wednesday showed the world's second-largest economy grew less than analysts expected in the second quarter, further dampening investor sentiment.
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