Demand for casual wear is consistent – Bata India

Update on the Indian Equity Market:
On Thursday Nifty closed 0.35% lower at 11,896. Among the sectoral indices NIFTY Media (+0.7%), Metal (+0.7%), and Realty (+0.4%) closed higher. Pharma (-0.9%), IT (-0.7%), and Private Bank (-0.7%) closed lower. Hero Motocorp (-3.03%), Indusind Bank (-2.99%), and ICICI Bank (-1.62%) closed on a negative note. NTPC (+4.1%), Tata Motor (+3.1%), and Bharti Airtel (+2.9%) were among the top gainers.

Excerpts from an interview of Mr. Sandeep Kataria, CEO, Bata with CNBC-TV18 dated 20th October 2020:

● Speaking about demand, Mr. Kataria said things are much better as compared to the past 3-4 months.

● There is a pick up of demand MoM. The company expects to reach normal levels with the festive season coming in.
● Speaking about stores, he said almost all the stores are opened except a few isolated ones.

● People are getting back to the office. Delhi and Gurugram are the cities where traffic is visible.
● Demand for casual wear is consistent and washable slippers.

● Q1 was weak for the company as well as the industry. He expects that the company will reach pre-covid levels towards the end of the festive season.

● Speaking about stores, the company had negotiations with landlords which was helpful. The push of the franchise store in towns below 5 lakh population is showing a good trend and there are a lot of enquires.

● The biggest cost is rentals for the company and the company is taking measures to reduce it.

● The administration and travel costs are also looked closely.

● The company has a strong balance sheet and remain cash positive, there is no worry on that front.

● On post- covid scenario, he said the company is already working on E-commerce and the focus will continue.

● He said tier 2,3 towns are showing a quick bounce back as compared to urban.

Consensus Estimate: (Source: market screener and Investing.com websites)
● The closing price of Bata was ₹ 1,362 as of 22-October-2020. It traded at 182x/ 46x/ 38x the consensus Earnings per share estimate of ₹ 7.5/29.8/35.9 for FY21E/ FY22E/ FY23E respectively.
● The consensus average target price for Bata is ₹ 1293/- which implies a PE multiple of 36x on FY23E EPS of ₹35.9/-.

Disclaimer: “The views expressed are for information purposes only. The information provided herein should not be considered as investment advice or research recommendation. The users should rely on their own research and analysis and should consult their own investment advisors to determine the merit, risks, and suitability of the information provided.”