Author - Maitreyee Vaishampayan

  • Maitreyee Vaishampayan
22 Sep

Investment in digital transformation paying off now – Titan

Update on the Indian Equity Market:
On Monday, Nifty ended 2.5% lower at 11,222 mirroring sell-off in global markets due to rising coronavirus cases across the globe. Domestic investors remained cautious due to the passage of a farm bill as well. Among the Nifty50, TCS (+0.8%), INFY (+0.5%), and KOTAKBANK (+0.3%) were the only stock gainers. INDUSINDBK (-8.6%), TATAMOTORS (-7.8%), and HINDALCO (-7.2%) were the top losers. None of the sectoral indices ended the day in the green, and REALTY (-6.0%), METAL (-5.6%), and MEDIA (-4.8%) were the top sectoral indices to end with losses.

Edited excerpts of an interview with Mr. S Subramaniam, CFO, Titan Company with CNBC-TV18 on 18th September 2020:
• As of now, plain gold jewelry, wedding jewelry, and gold coins are still very much in demand. The recovery from an overall revenue perspective has been fine. The month of September will not see high sales due to the extended inauspicious period.
• In terms of revenues, the company is at about a 90% level on a year-on-year basis. Around 85-90 percent of stores are open but for shorter timings due to localized lockdowns.
• As far as diamond jewelry is concerned, the ratio will remain low this year as discretionary expenses are not taking off as expected. The company hopes to return to normalcy by 4QFY21.
• The industry is facing some serious challenges due to Covid-19, especially the smaller jewelers. Titan is witnessing higher market share, due to a strong balance sheet and strong brands.
• The high investments in digital transformation over the past years are now paying off. Videoconferencing has become a big way of attracting and connecting with customers. Some of the customers may visit the store to complete the sale but a lot of sales are happening digitally. These are the big competitive advantages of Titan.
• The studded jewelry caters to people who are unlikely to face job losses due to the pandemic. Discretionary spending doesn’t depend just on the income levels but also on the general mood and sentiment. In the current situation, most people are avoiding going out. They are waiting for better times when they can feel safe going out to buy jewelry.
• The recovery has been good, slightly better than what the company had anticipated. There are some worrying signs such as the unpredictable timing of normalcy returning, the vaccine is available for all, vaccine doses, which are slightly dampening.
• The cost-cutting measures have been implemented since December 2019, before the outbreak of the virus. The companywide initiative been doing very well. The measures start from discounts to customers, to franchisee pay-outs and every aspect is being looked at. Similarly, every element of fixed cost is also being looked at, including employee cost. The savings from the measures are coming in and assuming next year to be a normal year, will see a bump up in margins.

Consensus Estimate: (Source: market screener and investing.com websites)
• The closing price of Titan Company was ₹ 1,117/- as of 21-September-2020. It traded at 111x/ 54x/ 45x the consensus earnings estimate of ₹ 10.1/ 20.7/ 24.9 per share for FY21E/FY22E/FY23E respectively.
• The consensus target price of ₹ 1,062/- implies a PE multiple of 43x on FY23E EPS of ₹ 24.9/-.
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.”

By Titan , , 0 Comments Read more...
11 Sep

FY22 to be a game changer – Dixon Technologies

Update on the Indian Equity Market:
On Thursday, Indian equity markets snapped a two-day losing streak with the Nifty50 closing 1.5% higher at 11,449. RELIANCE (+7.3%) was the top gainer after reports of potential investments in its retail arm, Reliance Retail. BPCL (+6.0%), and ASIANPAINT (4.2%) were the other lead gainers in the index. INFRATEL (-4.8%), HINDALCO (-2.9%), and TATASTEEL (-2.3%) led the losers. Among the sectoral indices, PSU BANK (+2.5%), MEDIA (+1.3%), and FINANCIAL SERVICES 25/50 (+1.01%) were the top gainers. METAL (-1.1%), and PHARMA (-0.01%) were the only sectoral indices to end in the red.
*Nifty Financial Services 25/50 is a new capped version of the Nifty Financial Services index.

Edited excerpts of an interview with Mr. Atul Lall, MD, Dixon Technologies (India) with CNBC-TV18 on 8th September 2020:
• A government panel has recently cleared $100 bn of mobile export proposals from global manufacturers.
• Dixon has submitted 2 applications under the production-linked incentive scheme (PLI) but has not received an official nod yet. It might take a week to ten days to receive official communication from the government.
• They have large contracts for exports and domestic markets lined up with big global brands. The focus is to accelerate project implementation and production is planned to start by Q4FY21.
• The government is giving a 4-6 percent incentive for manufacturing under the PLI scheme for the next 5 years, which Mr. Lall calls the government handholding in the infancy stage of any industry. There is some disability in manufacturing mobile in India when compared to China, and the scheme is helping reduce that.
• They are seeing significant traction from large global players looking to shift base from China and other countries to India.
• Year 1 is a very short period and they get barely 3 months to generate revenues in this fiscal (FY21). In year 2, in one application, there is a ceiling of about Rs 3000-4000 crore. If they get both the applications, they will be able to generate revenues of Rs 8000 crore through mobile manufacturing, which is a big leap for a company like theirs.
• There will be a small margin expansion with a large volume expansion next year, which is going to be a game-changer.
• In the LED TV segment, the order book is very strong and they are operating at 110% capacity and with the government shifting imports of a certain kind of televisions from OGL (Open General License) to a restricted category, their order book is increasing. They have already expanded their capacity from 3.6 mn to 4.4 mn units, there is a further expansion planned to take it to 5.5 mn units. This increased capacity is almost 33% of the Indian TV requirement. This second round of capacity expansion will be completed by March 2021.
• The capacity expansion is happening across verticals, including mobiles and washing machines.
• There will be significant growth in Q2 on a YoY basis. Plants for LED TV, mobiles, and washing machines are running at almost 110% capacity. Lighting being an extensive manpower-oriented segment, they had to re-engineer the lines because of social distancing is working at 80% capacity. The one vertical that is not performing as well, which is the security surveillance systems, working at 50% capacity. Overall, the business has been good.
• FY21 will be better than FY20 both on the top line as well as the bottom line.

Consensus Estimate: (Source: market screener website)
• The closing price of Dixon Technologies (India) was ₹ 9400/- as of 10-September-2020. It traded at 91.3x/ 50x/ 36.7x the consensus earnings estimate of ₹ 103/ 188 / 256 per share for FY21E/FY22E/FY23E respectively.
• The consensus target price of ₹ 7936/- implies a PE multiple of 31x on FY23E EPS of ₹ 256/-.

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.”

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02 Sep

Growth not constrained by availability of either capital, geography or liquidity – Federal Bank

Update on the Indian Equity Market:
On Tuesday, Nifty50 ended 0.7% higher at 11,470 after the Supreme Court ordered telecom companies to pay their pending Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) over 10 years. Among the Nifty50 stocks, BHARTIARTL (+7.1%), JSWSTEEL (+6.5%), and HINDALCO (+5.3%) led the gainers. INFRATEL (-4.6%), ONGC (-2.9%), and AXISBANK (-2.0%) led the losers. METAL (+3.2%), PHARMA (+2.3%), and MEDIA (+1.4%) led the sectoral gainers. IT (-0.6%), PSU BANK (-0.2%), and PRIVATE BANK (-0.1%) were the only sectoral losers.

Excerpts of an interview with Mr. Shyam Srinivasan, MD & CEO, The Federal Bank with ET Now on 31st August 2020:
• Since the moratorium ended on August 31, 2020, no material changes are expected in September and the real picture would become clearer as they go into 3QFY21.
• The net moratorium at the end of 1QFY21 was 24%. Despite banks calculating moratorium in different ways, the Federal bank has been very strict with defining moratorium. If three or more payments were received, those borrowings were out of moratorium. All indications so far suggest the impact of the moratorium end would be as per planned and provided for by the bank.
• The gold loan performance is quite well. 1Q saw 9.5% growth in this segment and that growth is going to be very strong in the year. Gold being anti-cyclical and people resort to gold borrowing when there are any challenges in the economy.
• Businesses like auto loans in select geographies Karnataka, Kerala seem to have picked up in terms of monthly volumes while parts of Maharashtra are not doing as well.
• Typically, the NIMs (Net Interest Margin) are influenced by the margin of businesses, and reversals and low-cost funds. Strong growth in low-cost funds coupled with no material slippages helped, good growth in gold loan helped achieve good NIMs.
• The slippages in September are predictable. The NIMs for 2Q would be around the same levels as 1Q. 3Q and 4Q would depend on the slippages. The guidance for the full year remains at ~3.1%.
• They have an enabling provision for Rs 10bn of equity raise. Right now, they are not looking at raising any money and capital adequacy is looking reasonably good.
• It would be wise to see how 3Q pans out before plunging into any M&A and portfolio expansion opportunities. The growth is not constrained by the availability of either capital, geography, or liquidity, all of which are in abundance with the bank.
• Mr. Srinivasan’s term as the bank’s CEO & MD ends in September 21. With a well-thought-out succession planning in place, there is not a lack of continuity or lack of candidate and by April 21, there will be clarity on his successor.
• There is a high CASA flow from Dubai and the Middle East where oil prices have moved and job losses have happened. Whenever there is any kind of dislocation in these geographies, the bank has been a net beneficiary due to physical presence, large diaspora base, and the client base are not great shoppers and must send money home. It is not a singularly large destructive area. In the last 10 years, they have been able to diversify their business across geographies and product streams.

Consensus Estimate: (Source: market screener and investing.com websites)
• The closing price of The Federal Bank was ₹55/- as of 01-September-2020. It traded at 0.7x/ 0.7x/ 0.6x the consensus book value estimate of ₹ 77.4/83.8/90.4 for FY21E/ FY22E/FY23E respectively.
• The consensus target price of ₹ 66/- implies a PB multiple of 0.7x on FY23E BV of ₹ 90.4/-.

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.”

By Bank, Federal Bank , , 0 Comments Read more...
24 Aug

More than Rs 80 bn cash ready to take care of loan demand – Muthoot Finance

Update on the Indian Equity Market:
On Friday, Nifty50 ended higher at 11372 (+0.5%). Among the stocks, NTPC (+5.1%), POWERGRID (+4.6%), and ASIANPAINT (+4.4%) led the gainers. ZEEL (-3.7%), HINDALCO (-1.6%), and BHARTIARTL (-1.3%) led the losers. Among the sectoral indices, PSU BANK (+1.8%), BANK (+1.4%), and PRIVATE BANK (+1.3%) led the gainers. MEDIA (-1.4%), METAL (-0.6%), and IT (-0.3%) were the only losers.

Excerpts from an interview with Mr George Alexander Muthoot, MD, Muthoot Finance with ET Now on 20th August 2020:
• The past two months have been good and the going is great now as well. They are on track to reach or surpass the AUM estimate of about 15% growth. They are seeing good demand for gold loans since gold has been the buzzword recently. People are interested to associate with gold and gold financing is a part of it.
• Mr Muthoot believes it might be a little difficult for people to get credit via personal or housing loan, as lenders and NBFCs are not comfortable with fresh lending. Hence, for the next three-four quarters, there will be a good demand for gold loans.
• All their branches are open and people are able to come to the branches. The past two months has been a good growth period for their business and the momentum is likely to sustain. People are using gold to finance their requirements. Small businesses, small traders, and business people and individuals are using this.
• Gold price has also helped as people with lesser quantities of gold can have more gold loans in their hands. Unfortunately, the tonnage has not grown in line with the growth in AUM because newer loans need to bring only lesser quantities of gold.
• About 89-90% of the portfolio consists of gold loans which don’t have NPAs. NPAs are just loans which have crossed the threshold time limit. Auctioning the gold which is in NPAs is not beneficial as they have to refund money to the customer. Instead, they would give more time to the customer and pay it back and hold it as NPA in the books. None of the NPAs result in loan loss as the full interest and principal is recovered in time. This also keeps customers happy that their gold is not being auctioned off.
• For about 10% of the loan book which is in vehicle finance, housing finance, they have given moratorium to customers.
• Standard provisioning and loan loss provisioning is applicable to them just as to NBFCs. There are about Rs 10 bn provisions in terms of standard assets or loan loss provisions. This is just a technical provision and he never sees it converting into loan loss.
• There is no plan of acquiring any gold loan company since the average tenure is four months only. By the time negotiation with the company is done the loan would have gone off their books.
• The regular growth through 5,000 branches is sufficient for them because the average branch business is about Rs 10 crore and any branch can cater to double that. So an average of Rs 20 crore per branch is easily sustainable for them.
• In South India, both the public and private sector banks are advertising about giving gold loans. Banks coming into this space is good as it gives more credibility and visibility to this business. There are about 25,000 tons of gold in the market with the public and only about 3,000 tons is in the organised gold loan sector. Since there is a lot of gold which has not come into the gold loan market, there is a place for everybody.
Consensus Estimate: (Source: market screener and investing.com websites)
• The closing price of Muthoot Finance was ₹1,181/- as of 21-August-2020. It traded at 3.4x/ 2.7x the consensus book value estimate of ₹ 352/438 for FY21E/ FY22E respectively.
• The consensus target price of ₹ 1,195/- implies a PB multiple of 2.8x on FY22E BV of ₹ 428/-.
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.”

By Gold loan NBFC, Muthoot Finance , 0 Comments Read more...
13 Aug

An opportunity to re-imagine business – Cipla

Update on the Indian Equity Market:
On Wednesday, Nifty50 snapped its six-day winning streak to end 0.1% lower at 11,308. HCLTECH (+4.7%), SBIN (+4.3%), and TECHM (+2.8%) ended the day in the green. KOTAKBANK (-2.1%), CIPLA (-2.1%), and SUNPHARMA (-2.0%) led the laggards. Among the sectoral indices, PSUBANK (+2.7%), MEDIA (+2.4%), and AUTO (2.0%) led the gainers while PHARMA (-1.6%), REALTY (-0.7%), and METAL (-0.7%) led the losers.

Cipla recently declared 1QFY21 results. Mr. Umang Vohra, MD & Global CEO discussed the opportunities provided by the covid epidemic to the business with Economic Times on 11th August 2020. Here are the edited excerpts of the interview:

• He outlined three reasons for the good numbers reported. The first being that healthcare is a part of essential services continues to work despite the pandemic led lockdowns. The second being the tailwinds of the crisis is the increased levels of collaboration and cooperation with every healthcare authority in the world. The third reason being getting more Covid treatments out as soon as possible and ensuring drug supply is not affected.
• The Covid crisis has given an opportunity to reimagine their business. It has given an opportunity to understand what is important to running their business. There were a few costs that could not be incurred. Since all the manufacturing plants are operating, those costs have increased slightly as more precaution for social distancing needs to be taken. The absence of some of the field costs has helped the bottom line.
• The timelines of approvals are at an all-time high and in terms of pricing, the only market that was a concern was the US. In the US, more attention is paid to the availability of the product against price.
• Respiratory is the core therapy for Cipla and they are trying to expand their respiratory franchise. Albuterol is the first one and there is a reasonable pipeline built for unlocking the respiratory franchise in the US over the next 18-24 months.
• Albuterol production has ramped up quite significantly in the first quarter and it being a 60-million-unit market, Cipla will get its fair share in the market.
• Some of the cost control measures were voluntary and some were involuntary. Due to lockdowns, travel costs were not incurred. Some of that would resume again in the coming quarters. There is an ambitious cost program which has been running for the past 2-3 years and which will continue to run.
• The guidance for margins has been to the same level before lockdown; as a large portion of the cost base cannot be maintained so low. So the sustainable basis for every quarter is going to be slightly lower than the first quarter in absolute percentage terms.
• With the crisis lasting a little longer in India, chronic conditions will continue to stay the same. The respiratory linked illnesses, linked to weather and linked to winter will continue. Acute therapy is impacted as patients are healthier and not reporting sick. Hospitals are beginning to uptick now and expect to see a resumption of surgeries and elective procedures in a quarter’s time.
• Cipla’s business is changing and about 15-20% of its market will be very different compared to pre-covid.
• Digital has the ability to penetrate healthcare more significantly compared to physical representatives. Digital provides remote connect which is faster and economical.

Consensus Estimate: (Source: market screener website)
• The closing price of Cipla was ₹ 762/- as of 12-August-2020. It traded at 29x/ 25x/ 21x the consensus earnings estimate of ₹ 26.2/ 30.2/ 36.7 per share for FY21E/FY22E/FY23E respectively.
• The consensus target price of ₹ 769/- implies a PE multiple of 21x on FY23E EPS of ₹ 36.7/-.

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.”

By Cipla, Pharmaceuticals , 0 Comments Read more...
03 Aug

It’s business as Usual – Dabur India

Update on the Indian Equity Market:

On Friday, disappointing US GDP data led to weakness in the broader Asian markets. Nifty50 ended 0.3% lower at 11,074. PHARMA (+3.6%), PSU BANK (+1.4%), and REALTY (+1.4%) led the sectoral gainers while MEDIA (-0.9%), FINANCIAL SERVICES (-0.6%), and PRIVATE BANK (-0.3%) led the laggards. Among the stocks, SUNPHARMA (+5.5%), CIPLA (+5.1%), and GRASIM (+5.0%) were the top gainers while EICHERMOT (-2.7%), RELIANCE (-1.8%), and HDFCBANK (-1.7%) led the losers.

Mr. Mohit Malhotra, CEO, Dabur India discussed the company’s 1QFY21 performance with CNBC TV-18 on 31st July 2020. Here are the edited excerpts:

  • In oral care, the toothpaste category declined 18.8% in volume terms. In terms of primary sales, grew 2.6% with Dabur Red growing ~8%. They gained market share of 63bps to reach an all-time high of 16.1% market share in toothpaste. In the markets of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, and Chennai, Dabur is the number 1 brand in the toothpaste category.
  • Sequentially, the business has only improved. Witnessed a decline of 40% in April, in May saw growth of 2%. In June, growth is back to pre-covid levels of 6-7%, as the pipeline filling is happening.
  • July also saw a similar trend, though pipeline filling has happened. This is because DIL’s portfolio has clear tailwinds due to the focus on the healthcare portfolio.
  • Although there are certain categories and certain geographical areas that are still not performing well, overall, DIL is back to pre-covid levels.
  • Healthcare, immunity, and hygiene categories are definitely seeing a tailwind. Despite the healthcare business going down by ~40% in April has shown a growth of 30% plus.
  • The Health & Personal care and Food categories are dragging the performance. Items such as hair oils, skincare, and home care which are more discretionary in nature are not performing as well. The out-of-home consumption is majorly impacted since people are not going out, consumption of 200ml juices has declined.
  • The modern trade channel has declined by almost 25% during the quarter and continues to remain under pressure. Department stores such as Big Bazaar and DMart continue to operate below the normal levels. The open format outlets which offer home delivery to consumers are doing better. E-commerce channel has seen significant growth.
  • Other channels not performing include Horeca, institutional and enterprise business.
  • Barring localized lockdowns, all states seem to be doing well. The highest growth trajectory is seen in the Southern parts of India.
  • The rural markets have always performed very well for Dabur and there is a 1000bps difference in the rural performance vs urban performance.
  • The company is on the growth path now and looking at low to mid-single-digit growth in 2QFY20, with the tailwinds for the healthcare products and new products. Mr Malhotra is of the opinion these tailwinds are here to stay. With the penetration of products like Chyawanprash increasing, habits are formed and these habits will last even if Covid disappears.
  • The HPC category has seen benign raw material and packaging material costs. In healthcare, the surge in demand has caused a 3% inflation in the price of the herbs, which has been offset to a certain extent by an increase in prices. Overall, there will be margin improvement as the healthcare category which is margin accretive grows.
  • DIL is looking to do a capex of Rs 3000-3500 mn in line with business requirements.

Consensus Estimate: (Source: market screener website)

  • The closing price of Dabur India was ₹ 513/- as of 31-July-2020. It traded at 55x/ 48x the consensus earnings estimate of ₹ 9.3/10.7 per share for FY21E/ FY22E respectively.
  • The consensus target price of ₹ 507/- implies a PE multiple of 47x on FY22E EPS of ₹ 10.7/-.

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.”

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24 Jul

A tremendous shift to mindful shopping seen – Havells India

Update on the Indian Equity Market:

On Thursday, Nifty50 ended 0.7% higher at 11,215 after reports citing India and the US are close to inking a trade deal. EICHERMOT (+4.9), ICICIBANK (+3.6%), and RELIANCE (+3.6%) topped the gainers. AXISBANK (-3.8%), SHREECEM (-1.9%), and HINDUNILVR (-1.4%) led the laggards. PHARMA (+1.4%), REALTY (+1.4%), and AUTO (+1.4%) led the sectoral gainers while IT (-0.2%) was the only sector to end the day in the red.

The buying pattern of consumers has undergone a transformation since the pandemic started and businesses have had to device new strategies to get consumers back. Mr. Ravindra Singh Negi, President, ECD (Electrical Consumer Durables), Havells India talked about the company’s online to offline model with Economic Times.

Here are the edited excerpts of the interview published on 22nd July 2020:

  • The online to offline program combines technology and execution at the local level. This model provides a solution to customers worried about going out and partners concerned about sales. Products can be selected, and payment made online and delivery is made at a fast pace by local channels.
  • The launch of the beta version of the program led to a 4 times surge in the average monthly revenue generated by the e-store. The response led to the program being rolled out across the country in June, except for in Kolkata and Maharashtra.
  • Cognizant of the potential of digital power, Havells has made the swift movement to online sales and invested in the e-store for the brand at large. The hybrid model will be integral to business recovery as it aims to remove customers’ hesitance to go and shop offline due to health and safety concerns.
  • There has been a profound impact of the Covid-19 on the business due to the dependence on domestic consumption. April was a washout and May witnessed little recovery. June was better than the previous two months with a considerable contribution from smaller towns and semi-urban geographies. Although semi-urban and rural are almost back to normal, urban centers will take a while to get back on track.
  • Customer behavior has settled into the new normal significantly and there has been a tremendous shift to mindful shopping. There has been an uptake of domestic appliances such as air fryers, mixers, juicers, and blenders as these seem to invade the essentials category.
  • With the spas and salons shut for a long time, the grooming products too are high on the consumers’ shopping list. Beard trimmers sale has seen a spike of 5x.
  • Consumers are going to look at buying safe and quality products with superior after-sale service, which adds brand recall and loyalty. During the lockdown, more than half of their service issues were solved digitally through video calls or through do-it-yourself videos on their social media channels, which was appreciated by consumers.
  • The pandemic has revamped the business structure altogether. The focus remains on ramping up Make in India capabilities to offer better quality products to customers.

Consensus Estimate: (Source: market screener website)

  • The closing price of Havells India was ₹ 608/- as of 23-July-2020. It traded at 68x/ 42x/ 38x the consensus earnings estimate of ₹ 8.9/14.4/16.2 per share for FY21E/ FY22E/ FY23E respectively.
  • The consensus target price of ₹ 547/- implies a PE multiple of 34x on FY23E EPS of ₹ 16.2/-.

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.”

 

By Consumer durable, Havells , 0 Comments Read more...
15 Jul

Slow and steady recovery over the next 2-4 years – Info Edge

Update on the Indian Equity Market:

On Tuesday, amid rising coronavirus cases and fresh lockdowns being imposed in some of the Covid-19 hotspots in India, the Nifty50 ended 1.8% lower at 10,607. PRIVATE BANK (-3.3%), PSU BANK (-3.1%), and BANK (-3.2%) dragged the index lower. PHARMA (+0.5%) was the only sectoral index to end in the green. Among the Nifty50 stocks, DRREDDY (+1.9%), TITAN (+0.9%), and BHARTIARTL (0.3%) were the only gainers. INDUSINDBK (-5.5%), AXISBANK (-4.9%), and EICHERMOT (-4.5%) led the laggards.

Edited excerpts of an interview with Hitesh Oberoi, MD & CEO, Info Edge India with Economic Times on 13th July 2020:

  • The months of April and May witnessed lockdown and a halt in all business activities. The JobSpeak Index published monthly is closely linked to revenue on their platform and it has gone up by 33%. The activities on all the platforms- 99acres, Naukri, Shiksha, and Jeevansathi are almost back to normal.
  • They are growing 25-30% in the emerging markets already. The big cities like Mumbai and Delhi, which are more impacted by Covid and lockdown, they are still down 25-30%.
  • Revenue in Naukri and all the verticals will follow with a lag, that’s how it always works. Green shoots in sectors like IT, healthcare, pharma, and tech can be seen. Other sectors like travel, tourism, hospitality, and auto things continue to be 70-80% below where they were last year.
  • The company is a cash-rich company, with Rs 1,500 crore cash with a 50% EBITDA margin and they see a lot of opportunity going ahead. There are four verticals from an internal business standpoint: jobs, real estate, matrimony, and education.
  • Although the company is a clear leader in jobs, they want to do many things in that vertical, which will require investment over time. They already have a play in recruitment automation which they want to scale up. They invested in an HR services company, createHR, and are looking at what can be done in adjacent spaces.
  • Things are only getting started right in the real estate vertical. They are currently in the residential buy segment and plan to get into rentals and commercial real estate. Even in the residential buy segment, the plan is to break away from the rest of the pack and investment will be required in multiple areas, going forward.
  • On the matrimony portal, Jeevansathi volumes have doubled or tripled in the last couple of years. There is still a long way to go as it is still the number three player.
  • In all the verticals, investments will be made in the product development, branding, and innovation. A lot more strategic investing will be done in adjacent areas.
  • They have invested in three education companies in the last year and are open to the idea of acquiring companies and doing more M&A in the categories they operate in. To be able to do these activities, the cash they currently have won’t be sufficient, hence the board has enabled QIP to raise more money.
  • Capital raising is not something which is done every year, it is done maybe once in five to seven years. Hopefully, the capital raised will last for a couple of years. Info Edge has never done a large M&A but done a bunch of strategic investments. At the same time, to buy any company in the internet space, a lot of money is required. They do not want to risk all the money they have in the bank on an M&A. Should an opportunity arise to buy a distressed asset or something that will help gain market share, they want to be ready and that is why they are raising funds.
  • About a year ago, Zomato was losing $ 40 million a month which was brought down to $ 20 million a month before Covid. April and May were bad for all companies, including Zomato and Swiggy. Due to Covid, the volumes have fallen and the business is down to about 50% levels. The crazy discounting, spend on customer acquisition which companies were doing is now over and companies are focusing on fixing their supply chains and other issues. As a result, Zomato which was losing ₹ 30-40 an order till some time back, is now making ₹ 30 an order.
  • Zomato is now very comfortable on cash and has enough money in the bank to last them a couple of years. There are a lot of investors interested in investing in Zomato and talks with a few are going on right now.
  • People not being able to go out and dine anymore like they used to, is probably a big opportunity for all the delivery companies. Since dining out can be very expensive, people were doing that maybe once or twice a month. For that kind of money, they can order in food maybe twice or thrice. Consumers do not want to just eat home food all the time and since going out to dine is unsafe, ordering in will therefore increase.

Consensus Estimate: (Source: market screener website)

  • The closing price of Info Edge (India) was ₹ 2,899/- as of 14-July-2020. It traded at 112x/ 81x the consensus earnings estimate of ₹ 25.8/ 35.9 per share for FY21E/ FY22E respectively.
  • The consensus target price of ₹ 2,557/- implies a PE multiple of 71x on FY22E 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.”

 

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06 Jul

Resurgence of demand across India, exports to take a little longer – Bajaj Auto

Update on the Indian Equity Market:

On Friday, the Indian market ended higher, making it the third straight week to end with gains. The Indian government’s approval of the acquisition of missiles, ammunition, and weapon systems worth Rs 38,900 crores led to the rally in defense stocks’ shares. Nifty ended 0.5% higher at 10,607. EICHERMOT (+4.2%), ADANIPORTS (4.1%), and BHARTIARTL (+4.1%) were the top gainers, while JSWSTEEL (-1.8%), TATASTEEL (-1.8%), and INDUSINDBK (-1.5%) were the top losers. Among the sectoral indices, IT (+1.1%), REALTY (+1.0%) and AUTO (+0.9%) ended in the green, while PSU BANK (-0.9%), PRIVATE BANK (-0.5%) and BANK (-0.5%) ended in the red.

Mr. Rakesh Sharma, Director, Bajaj Auto discussed the June auto sales data with CNBC TV18 on July 2nd, 2020. Here are the edited excerpts of the interview:

  • A lot of pent-up demand was witnessed in the past month wherever the dealer network was opening up.
  • In the last couple of weeks, they have noticed even spread of resurgence in demand. Initially, it was thought to be a semi-urban, and rural area phenomenon. Now, it is the urban areas that are responding and coming back extremely well.
  • There is optimism in the rural areas driven by the agricultural sector. In the urban areas, there is a revaluation of the mode of transport and a lot of the urban areas are driven by the need to adopt a safer mode of transport. In the last 10-15 days, demand has returned on both, the urban and rural sectors. Bajaj Auto is hopeful that this will continue into the next quarter.
  • Talking about production, he said there was a little bit of turbulence towards the end of June. Otherwise, production including their vendors and plants is completely geared up. In the niche areas of high-end bikes and electric scooters, their response rate was lower. Overall, they have responded to 90-95 percent of the market demand.
  • Had the logistical disturbances not existed in the last days of June, they could have catered to about 100 percent of the demand, except for the niche products.
  • The June story is a ramp-up story of the vendors, of the plant and of the dealers. Bajaj Auto has been able to increase their market share and share of exports. It can be said the June story is not so much of the demand coming up but the supply side coming up to speed to a very different situation.
  • Taking into consideration the fact that more Covid cases could break out, in the dealerships, and at the back end, Bajaj Auto is much better prepared and would not face any restraining issue going forward.
  • At the Aurangabad pant, there have been 40 cases and 3 casualties and there is no escalation. There is a constant effort for testing and contact testing. Production had gone way down to ensure rigorous contact testing, reporting, and sanitization. Now, production is back to normal, people are reporting to work.
  • Moving to exports, Africa has come back well and running at about 80 percent levels. ASEAN is slightly behind, at about 65 – 70 percent. Latin America is a bit of a concern as the recovery is only at 50 percent level. From shipment point, the return to normalcy will most likely be by August or September, as in transit stocks in exports are much higher and have to be calibrated with the low demand of the first quarter. Now that calibration is continuing to occur and is expected to be completed by August and expect to see some kind of normalcy in shipments coming back.

Consensus Estimate: (Source: market screener and investing.com websites)

  • The closing price of Bajaj Auto was ₹ 2,935 on 03-07-2020. It traded at 20x/ 17x/ 15x the consensus EPS estimate of ₹ 147/175/198 for FY21E/ FY22E/ FY23E respectively.
  • The consensus target price of ₹ 2,774/- implies a PE multiple of 14x on FY23E EPS of ₹ 198/-.

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.”

 

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25 Jun

Capping test prices unviable for private labs – Metropolis Healthcare

Update on the Indian Equity Market:

On Wednesday, the indices ended lower after four straight sessions of gains amid fears of a rise in defaults due to the pandemic. The Nifty ended 1.6% lower at 10,305. Among the sectors, FMCG (+0.5%) was the only one that ended higher. PRIVATE BANK (-4.0%), BANK (-3.8%), and FINANCIAL SERVICES (-3.0%) led the losers. ASIANPAINT (+3.8%), ITC (+3.4%), and EICHERMOT (+3.1%) closed in the green while ICICIBANK (-7.1%), INDUSINDBK (-6.6%), and POWERGRID (-5.1%) dragged the index lower.

Edited excerpts of an interview with Ms Ameera Shah, Managing Director (MD), Metropolis Healthcare with Business Standard on 23rd June 2020:

  • There are three approved tests for conducting the confirmatory test for COVID 19: TruNAT, GeneXpert (CBNAAT), and RT PCR test. Both TruNAT and GeneXpert incur high costs and the price per test is expensive. Due to the high costs, many of the 195 private labs approved for RT PCR testing are conducting less than 100 tests per day. Increasing volumes can help reduce the analytical cost of an RT PCR test, the servicing cost will continue to be high and will increase as the test load goes up.
  • Those unable to afford testing are well-supported by the 723 approved government laboratories.
  • All private labs who have been at the forefront in the pandemic would be forced to incur losses, should the government cap the prices at a very low level. This will not only impact the capacity of Covid testing but also impact non-Covid tests because of the losses incurred.
  • Only large private lab chains have a high throughput in conducting the RT PCR tests. However, investments in infrastructure in terms of test kits, bio-safety cabinets, RT PCP machines, skilled manpower for conducting the test, trained phlebotomists for sample collection, and documentation for compliance all together tend to increase the cost. Metropolis is stretching its resources to ensure good quality testing is undertaken and also reducing the turnaround time to get the reports to the doctors and patients.
  • With the government intent on providing the services independently, rules are different for public labs as compared to private labs. The highly manual nature of tests and increased ancillary costs has led to private lab players conducting less than 100 tests per day because they lack the resources to scale up.
  • The business was down 90 percent in the last two weeks of March and all of April. In May, recovery of about 50 percent was seen and June has been slightly better. The second quarter of fiscal 2021 is expected to be better than the first one and the industry will see greater consolidation once normalcy returns in the next 2-3 quarters.
  • Metropolis has good cash reserves and does not foresee the need for working capital loans right now.
  • They request the government to provide forecast numbers to enable labs to provide best capacity and also to look at private healthcare providers as equal partners in the fight.
  • Labs are approved by ICMR but governing the function of labs has been left to the states. This has been a big hurdle as the guidelines keep changing. With ICMR governing all private and public labs with the same guidelines, it is possible to scale-up testing over the next few weeks, which could help flatten the curve.
  • Going forward, the focus will be to provide the highest quality services keeping safety and hygiene as the top priority.

Consensus Estimate: (Source: market screener website)

  • The closing price of Metropolis Healthcare was ₹ 1,401/- as of 24-June-2020. It traded at 58x/ 33x the consensus earnings estimate of ₹ 24/ 42.2 per share for FY21E/ FY22E respectively.
  • The consensus target price of ₹ 1,566/- implies a PE multiple of 37x on FY22E EPS of ₹ 42.2/-.

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.”

 

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