ACC on Monday posted a surprise loss for the third quarter ended September 30 as expenses rose on rising input costs. The cement maker clocked a standalone loss of Rs 91.09 crore compared with a profit of Rs 449.04 crore in the same period of the previous year.

Brokerages such as Reliance Securities had pegged a net profit of Rs 170 crore during the quarter. This is the first quarterly performance of the cement maker after the Adani group completed the acquisition of Holcim’s cement assets in India.

ACC on Monday reported results for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30. It follows a calendar year (January-December) cycle — one of the few companies to do so.

During the quarter, ACC saw its sales rise to Rs 3,910.49 crore from Rs 3,653.30 crore in the year-ago period. However, expenses inched up to Rs 4,162.19 crore from Rs 3,204.42 crore a year ago. Raw materials cost rose to Rs 634.70 crore from Rs 479.11 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

Cement volume grew 4 per cent at 6.85 million tonnes compared with 6.57 million tonnes a year ago, while ready mix concrete recorded a volume growth of 10 per cent a year ago.

“The post-monsoon quarter will see the traditional rebound for the sector, including for ACC. Recent cooling off in energy costs will impact us positivel,” said B. Sridhar, wholetime director and CEO.