On track to deliver 11th straight quarter of double-digit growth – Nestle India

Update on the Indian Equity Market:
On Friday, Nifty ended 0.7% higher at 12,859. The top gainers for Nifty 50 were Bajaj Finserv (+9.3%), Titan (+5.4%), and GAIL (+4.0%) while the losing stocks were Reliance (-3.7%), Adani Port (-1.6%), and IndusInd Bank (-1.5%). Top gaining sectors were Financial Service (+1.7%), IT (+1.4%), and FMCG (+1.2%) while top losing sectors are Media (-0.9%), and Pharma (-0.3%).

Edited excerpts of an interview with Mr Suresh Narayanan, CMD, Nestle India Ltd; dated 19th November 2020 from CNBCTV18:

The Company had a good 2Q with 10.2% growth in the top line. This will be the 11th straight quarter of double-digit growth.

The plant utilisation is well over 90% with some restrictions. Manufacturing levels are growing upwards.
For Nestle India, the core elements of their strategy which are 1) penetration linked volume growth and; 2) a strong focus on innovation and renovation remains constant for the upcoming quarters.

The total Distribution infrastructure has opened & continues to be a positive feature.

The Indian economy in recent times is following the theme of the resurgence of Bharat. The Tier 2, 3 & 4 towns and the rural market are doing extremely well.
Urban India is still facing some operating issues but is growing gradually. For Nestle India, it grew by 0.7% in 2Q while rural grew by 1.7%. In 3Q the Company saw urban growth of 6% & rural growth of 12%.

According to Mr Narayanan, the most unfortunate thing that happened during the pandemic was the meltdown of out of home consumption while an enormous surge is seen in at-home consumption. On a positive note, the out-of-home consumption is gradually opening up, and therefore, he sees some balancing in in-home & out-of-home consumption. Thus, the kind of absurd seen in the consumption in some of the categories will start to normalise.

As part of accessing rural India, the Company is taking 3 major steps: 1) improved access points of distribution. Stocking points have been increased to 12,000 from 8,000-9,000 2 years back, 2) carving out the portfolio making it more relevant for semi-urban & rural consumers, 3) Concentrating & establishing a better value & quality in brands as per the consumer’s needs.

The Company has recalibrated the innovation strategy during the pandemic. The Company has launched 60 new products in the last 2 years and 70% of these are successful.

Four big themes of innovation are coming up going forward: 1) better nutrition, 2) immunity-related innovation, 3) will be introducing ‘touchless’ vending for restaurants, and 4) identifying parts of the portfolio which need tweaking.

The Company may enhance nutrition & immunity brands in line with the theme and may also modify the price-value equation of some products.
The food processing PLI opportunity announced by the government is a huge and fantastic opportunity according to him.

Nestle India expects a CAPEX of Rs 2,600 crores to be completed over the next 3-4 years. Capex includes a new factory in Sanand, Gujarat. A substantial part of the CAPEX goes for the Sanand factory set up. The Company plans to invest in coffee, confectionery & dairy business. The higher capacity will have a huge multiplier effect for Nestle India.

Consensus Estimate: (Source: market screener website)
The closing price of Nestle India Ltd was ₹ 17,400/- as of 20-November-2020. It traded at 77x/ 65x/57x the consensus book value estimate of ₹ 225/267/307 for FY21E/ FY22E/ FY23E respectively.
The consensus target price of ₹ 16,855/- implies a PE multiple of 55x on FY23E EPS of ₹ 307/-.

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.”