B G Shirsat / Mumbai May 6, 2010, 1:07 IST

Increases in input cost have impacted operating margins of cement companies in the quarter ended March 31, down 187 basis points (bps) year-on-year despite an average price hike of Rs 30-80 a bag from the lows of the third quarter. They are lower by almost 800 bps over the hefty margin of 26.7 per cent achieved in the quarter ended June 2009.