UPDATE 1-Buzzi gets 325 mln euro loans, shares rise

* Signs two loans worth 325 mln euros

* Shares rise more than 3 percent

(Adds details, share price)

MILAN, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Italian cement maker Buzzi Unicem SpA (BZU.MI) raised 325 million euros ($459 million) in two loans, the company said on Wednesday, in a move confirming its financial health, and shares rose.

Buzzi, Italy's number-two cement company by output, signed two loans in July, one in Italy worth 150 million euros and a second in Germany worth 175 million euros, co-Chief Executive Pietro Buzzi told a conference call on first-half results.

The loans cover repayments due in the next 18 months, helping Buzzi avoid a cashout to repay them, analysts said.

The Italian loan has a five-year maturity and the German one four-year, Buzzi told analysts.

An analyst at an Italian bank said: "It's good news and something they had to do. Their debt is under control."

Family-controlled Buzzi had 1.28 billion euros of net debt at the end of June. A Reuters consensus estimate points to net debt remaining stable at 1.24 billion euros at the end of the year.

By 1028 GMT, Buzzi shares were up 3.07 percent to 10.74 euros. The DJ Stoxx building materials and construction index .SXOP was up 0.23 percent.

On Tuesday, Buzzi cut its profit expectations for the year as it reported a nearly 76 percent fall in first-half net profit. [ID:nLB705262]

Buzzi's debt situation is much better than peers such as France's Lafarge (LAFP.PA), Mexico's Cemex (CMXCPO.MX) (CX.N) and Germany's Heidelberg Cement HBCB.DH, another analyst said.

Cemex shares rose on Tuesday after its lenders backed a debt restructuring, but details of the plan remained unclear. [ID:nN11309899]

(Reporting by Danilo Masoni; Editing by David Cowell)