UK's SIG warns on profit as Britons cut back home upgrades

(Reuters) -Britain's SIG Plc expects annual underlying profit to be below market estimates due to subdued demand in the construction sector, the building materials supplier said on Monday, sending its shares tumbling to a more than four-year low.

The company, which sells roofing and insulation materials in Britain and some European countries, now expects underlying operating profit to be in a range of 20 million pounds to 30 million pounds ($25.3 million-$37.9 million), compared to analysts' expectations of 41.1 million pounds.

Its shares fell as much as 22% in early trade to 21.3 pence.

Fortunes of companies such as SIG are firmly tied to the health of the housing repair, maintenance and improvement segment, which has been under some pressure as customers continue to curb spending, amid subdued sales in the housing market on the back of elevated interest rates.

Last month, UK flooring firm Headlam warned on profit, while Britain's largest supplier of building materials Travis Perkins in April posted a decline in its first-quarter revenue.

SIG also forecasts a 7% decline in like-for-like sales in the first half of the year, with underlying operating profit in the range of 10 million pounds to 12 million pounds.

The subdued demand has hurt its key French and German markets, as well as its British interiors segment, the company said adding that group sales in May and June to date were weaker than expected.

The company, however, added that it continued to expect its strategic and commercial plans to drive medium-term margin and profit growth, bolstered by significant operating leverage when market volumes bounce back.

Analysts at Peel Hunt downgraded SIG's stock rating to "add" from "buy" until the company sees signs of a pick-up in activity in France, Germany and UK interiors.

($1 = 0.7906 pounds)

(Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil; Editing by Eileen Soreng and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)