Eternit's profit falls 28% in the quarter, to $ 21.5 million

SAO PAULO-the Eternit, a company that operates in the segments of crockery, sanitary metals and accessories, showed net income of r $ 21.5 million in the first quarter of 2013, which represents a fall of 28.2% in comparison with R $ 29.9 million from the same period last year.
The company's net revenue was r $ 211,3 million in the period, high light of 0.5% compared to the r $ 210,2 million in the months of January, February and March 2012. But the costs of goods and services sold advanced 9% to r $ 126.7 million, and operating expenses rose 1.2% to $ 54.6 million.
The company's revenue, which was virtually stable, is due to "an appropriate trade policy and positive exchange rate appreciation, which offset the reductions in volumes sold of concrete roof tiles and chrysotile mineral", according to the report.
The volume sold of chrysotile in the quarter was mineral of 60.2 million tons, 17.4% reduction compared to the previous year, on the basis of momentary logistical problems to access the Brazilian ports, which had an impact on exports of the product.
The volume sold of asbestos, including components for constructive systems, was 200.5 thousand tons, 6.9% higher than the volume registered in the first quarter of last year, due to the high competitiveness of products in the segment of toppings. In the quarter, sales of concrete roof tiles totalled 1,209 thousand square meters, retraction of 13.4%, caused by the sharp decline in demand in this segment, that seasonally occur throughout the first quarter.