South African construction firms may have turned the corner if the results from industry heavyweights are anything to go by.

Murray & Roberts, Group Five and Basil Read have all shown a return to profitability and growth in their order books for the year ahead. The only exception to this trend has been Aveng.

Aveng, whose CEO Roger Jardine resigned last month, is expected to show a 6% decline in its two-year order book, and headline earnings for the year to June 2013 are expected to fall as much as 10%. It releases results next week.

Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO) has reported it incurred a loss of R145million on three projects in Australia. This had had a material effect on its earnings.

Aveng, which at one stage was the largest construction firm on the local bourse, has struggled in the sector with its shares falling 3.42% over the past 12 months. This compares with a 13.81 advance of the construction index over the same period.

The biggest gainer over the period has been Group Five, whose shares have surged 69.12%, followed closely by Murray & Roberts with a 27.13% rise. Basil Read added 22.74% and WBHO was up 12.46%.

The conclusion of the two-year probe into anti-competitive practices in the industry has helped alleviate uncertainty in the sector.