Shares of Heidelberg Cement Bangladesh jumped nearly 30 per cent in the outgoing week to Wednesday, making it to the top of the weekly gainers list, as the company returned to profit in the first quarter of 2023.Following the news of its quarterly earnings, its share price surged by nearly 23 per cent on the first day of the week when there was no price limit due to corporate declarations.The multinational cement maker s stock price continued to go up to close at Tk 321.60 on Wednesday.Market operators said optimistic investors parked their money in its shares anticipating good returns as the company snapped a five-quarter losing streak with a profit in January-March 2023.Heidelberg, which produces Scan-branded cement, registered a Tk 387 million net profit in the three months ending March 2023. It incurred a loss of Tk 168 million in the same quarter a year before.The prices of raw materials started cooling down in the global market since October last year while the selling prices of cement on the retail market rose about 10 to 15 per cent, which helped overcome losses, said an official of the company.The country s foreign exchange market which was extremely volatile a few months back has started to ease slowly. International markets too have begun showing signs of stability, he said.As a result, the company s earnings per share surged to Tk 6.85 in the January-March quarter of 2023 as against a loss of Tk 2.97 per share in the same quarter last year. The earnings per share increased mainly due to a higher net sale price, a lower cost of raw materials, and lower plant repairs and maintenance costs, said the company in a disclosure.The German-based cement manufacturer also said it has managed to make a profit as its sales revenue increased 5 per cent to Tk 5.68 billion while cost of production dropped 6 per cent to Tk 4.82 billion during the quarter.In the previous five quarters, the company incurred a huge loss owing to the skyrocketing prices of raw materials and foreign currency fluctuations.However, the cement maker incurred a loss of Tk 233.40 million for the year ended on December 31, 2022. Still, it declared a 10 per cent cash dividend for 2022 from retained earnings.The record date for the entitlement of dividend is set on May 22 while its annual general meeting will be held on June 13.The company got listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange in 1989 as Chittagong Cement Clinkers Grinder which was later acquired by Heidelberg Cement.Meanwhile, some companies with low performance records also made their way into the top-ten gainers list, riding on a rumour that the investors are putting money in the securities.The top gainers list also included three junk stocks -- Emerald Oil Industries, Jute Spinners and BD Welding Electrode -- although these firms have incurred losses and have not paid dividends for a long time.Market experts suspect that manipulation is the reason behind such an abnormal price surge.