‘Grinding it out’: Ibstock swings to loss and cuts dividend amid building slumpIbstock has slashed its dividendOne of the UK’s biggest brickmakers has bemoaned a ‘challenging’ housebuilding market as it slashed its dividend and swung to a loss. Revenue for the period slid 15 per cent to £164m, while the company cut its dividend from 1.5p to 0.5p per share. “Private housebuilding and [maintenance] activity levels remain subdued, with conditions expected to remain challenging in the near term,” Ibstock said. Vistry is London’s most-shorted stock, with a short interest of 16.7 per cent according to Research Tree. “The group continues to pull strategic levers to improve performance, but soft market volumes continue to consume these gains,” Peel Hunt analysts said.