DUBAI: Saudi Cement Co. reported a 5.9 percent increase in second-quarter net profit on Monday, due to a rise in local demand for cement.

The company posted a second-quarter net profit of SR307 million ($81.7 million) compared to SR290 million in the same period in 2012, but missed analyst expectations.

A Reuters poll of eight analysts had estimated an average second-quarter profit of SR333.4 million.

Net profit for the first six months of 2013 was SR647 million, up 5 percent from the previous year.