India competition watchdog approves Ambuja Cements' acquisition of Orient Cement

India Cements

04/03/2025 13:36

In March 4 story, corrects paragraph 1 to clarify Ambuja Cements is buying Orient Cement, not India Cements

March 4 (Reuters) - India's antitrust watchdog, approved Ambuja Cements' ABUJ.NS acquisition of Orient Cement ORCE.NS on Tuesday, months after the Adani Group company first announced the deal.

Ambuja Cements, India's second-largest cement maker, in October revealed plans to buy stake worth $451 million in Orient Cement, intensifying competition with industry leader UltraTech Cement ULTC.NS.

Competition in the Indian cement sector has heated up recently, with UltraTech and the Adani Group companies striking a slew of deals to acquire smaller firms and expand their market share.

Analysts had doubted Ambuja's deal would win regulatory approval, considering recent acquisitions that have led to industry oversupply. Ambuja's shares fell 2.3% on October 22 when the deal was first announced.

Since October 22, Ambuja Cements' shares have dropped about 15%, while Orient Cements' shares have fallen nearly 5%.

In recent years, Ambuja has acquired smaller rivals Sanghi Industries SNGI.NS and Penna Cement PENC.NS.

 (Reporting by Manvi Pant in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)

 ((Manvi.Pant@thomsonreuters.com; +918447554364;))