Titan America valued at nearly $3 bln as shares rise 1.25% in NYSE debut

Adds CEO quote in paragraphs 4,5

By Pritam Biswas and Atharva Singh

Feb 7 (Reuters) - Shares of Titan America TTAM.N rose 1.25% in their debut on the New York Stock Exchange, giving the Belgium-based cement producer a market capitalization of $2.99 billion.

The company's shares opened at $16.2 apiece, compared with the IPO price of $16.

The cement producer, together with its parent company Titan Cement International TITC.BR, raised $384 million by selling 24 million shares in its initial public offering, within the targeted range it had marketed earlier.

"The IPO gives us more firepower with the cash that comes out of the primary sales and on top of that now we have the hard currency of a U.S. public company, so we have the opportunity to deploy this capital," Titan America CEO Bill Zarkalis told Reuters.

"We have the skills, experience and capability to look into value creative opportunities so that we maximize top-line growth, margin expansion and return on capital," Zarkalis added.

Investor enthusiasm for new stock offerings has been buoyed by expectations of a more business-friendly regulatory climate under U.S. President Donald Trump, betting on a potential easing of restrictions that could spur a wave of fresh IPOs.

Swiss cement giant Holcim HOLN.S said last year it would spin off its North American business into a separate U.S.-listed entity, while German-listed Heidelberg Materials HEIG.DE has also considered listing in the country.

Titan America supplies heavy building materials and services to resellers and construction contractors in the eastern region of the United States.

The company recorded a net income of $129.5 million on revenue of $1.24 billion in the nine months ended Sept. 30, compared with a net income of $109.8 million on revenue of $1.19 billion a year earlier.

Titan Cement International will control 87% of the voting power after the IPO.

Citigroup and Goldman Sachs are the lead underwriters for the offering.