The domestic markets are expected to open in red tracking negative opening
in Asian markets. Most of the Asian markets ended lower yesterday as concerns
over political uncertainty in Europe partially offset the positive sentiment
generated by a weekend move by China's central bank to cut banks' reserve
requirement ratio. U.S markets closed at more than three-month lows yesterday
as investors worried about political uncertainty in Greece, as the debt-plagued
nation could be forced to hold a new round of elections due to lawmakers'
inability to form a coalition government. Also, China’s move of cut in reserve
ration requirements to inject more liquidity into the system added to recent
concerns about the outlook for growth in China.
Meanwhile,
Indian stock markets
extended losses for a fifth consecutive session on Monday after government data
showed that the India's headline inflation accelerated to 7.23% in April,
making it difficult for the RBI to moderate monetary policy. Markets would now
watch out for retail sales growth data of the U.S. for April 2012 (Bloomberg
estimate – 0.1%) to be released today.
Markets Today
The trend deciding level for the day is 16,244 / 4,913 levels. If NIFTY
trades above this level during the first half-an-hour of trade then we may
witness a further rally up to 16,363 – 16,509 / 4,952 – 4,996 levels. However,
if NIFTY trades below 16,244 / 4,913 levels for the first half-an-hour of trade
then it may correct up to 16,097 – 15,978 / 4,869 – 4,830 levels.
Primary and fuel inflation rises as manufacturing inflation remains
stable
Wholesale price-based inflation for the month of April, 2012 came in at 7.2%
yoy, slightly higher than 6.9% yoy levels registered in March, 2012. The inflation
levels of February, 2012 were revised upwards from 6.95% yoy to 7.39% yoy. The
April, 2012 inflation levels of 7.2% yoy were above the Bloomberg estimate of
6.7%. Core (non-food manufacturing) inflation – which the RBI tracks closely –
remained stable at 4.56% yoy compared to 4.53% yoy in March, 2012.
Primary articles inflation remained at elevated levels of 9.7% yoy, c.10bp
higher than the 9.6% yoy witnessed in March, 2012. The food articles inflation
which had risen to 9.9% yoy in March 2012, jumped c60bp to 10.5% yoy for April
2012. The mom annualized growth in food inflation index stood at 58.5% as
against 27.5% registered in February 2012 on account of higher prices of few
fruits and vegetables. The Non-food articles inflation, which was as high as
18.2% yoy in August, 2011, came in at 1.6% yoy (-1.6% yoy in March, 2012).
However, over March, 2012, the Non-food articles index rose by 3.3% mom
(annualised growth of 39.3%) on account of higher prices of raw silk, rape and
mustard seed, sesamum, soyabeen, and mesta and niger seed amongst others.
Inflation for minerals registered an uptick to 66.8% yoy compared to 28.6% yoy
in February, 2012.
Fuel & power inflation (11.0% yoy) witnessed annualized mom growth of
21.4% over March 2012. Coal Index (13.9% yoy) witnessed annualized mom growth
of 161.9% over March 2012 (0.4% yoy), mainly on account of higher prices of non
coking coal. The electricity index remained unchanged mom. Mineral oil
inflation too moderated further to 13.7% yoy levels (lowest in 19 months).
Although, electricity tariff hikes across different states are yet to be
accounted for in inflationlevels, we expect RBI to have already factored the
same in its calculations and hence do not expect any possible deviation in
RBI’s monetary policy decisions based on possible uptick in electricity
inflation index. The fuel hikes are also on cards; however with global outlook
remaining grim, any further rise in fuel inflation levels is hence, in our
view, expected to be capped.
Manufactured products which have a weightage of c.65% in the overall WPI
inflation inched upwards slightly to 5.1% yoy from 4.9% - the lowest levels in
more than 2 years observed in March, 2012. The annualized mom growth in
manufacturing index stood at 11.8% in April, 2012. The core inflation (4.56%
yoy for April 2012 compared to average of 7.3% yoy in FY2012) which the RBI
tracks closely for its monetary policy decisions showed stability remained
stable at 4.56% yoy compared to 4.53% yoy witnessed in March 2012, thus
strengthening the hopes of further monetary easing by the central bank.
Result Reviews
L&T (CMP: Rs.1,160 / TP: Rs.1,641 / Upside: 42%)
Larsen and Toubro (L&T) posted a good set of numbers for 4QFY2012, which
were broadly in-line with our expectations; however, the company disappointed
on the order inflow front. On the top-line front, L&T reported decent
top-line growth of 20.0% yoy to Rs.18,461cr, marginally below our estimate of
Rs.18,945cr. On the EBITDA front, performance was as per our expectations, with
the company reporting a yoy dip of 130bp to 13.9% against our expectation of
13.7%. On the bottom-line front, L&T reported yoy growth of 13.9% to
Rs.1,920cr, marginally higher than our estimate of Rs.1,862cr, owing to
exceptional gain (Rs.55cr) and lower tax rate (26.9%).
As of 4QFY2012, L&T’s order backlog stands at yoy growth of 11.0% to
Rs.1,45,700cr. Order inflow for the quarter was disappointing at Rs.21,159cr
(yoy decline of 30.0%) against our expectation of Rs.26,000cr, taking the order
inflow for FY2012 to Rs.70,574cr, implying a yoy decline of 12.0%.
For FY2013, management has given a guidance of 15-20% growth for both
revenue and order inflow. We believe that although the company can achieve this
guidance on the revenue front, given its robust order backlog, it would be
difficult to achieve 15-20% growth on the order inflow front, considering the
challenging macro environment.
We believe L&T is best placed to benefit from the gradual recovery in
capex cycle, given its diverse exposure to sectors, strong balance sheet and
cash flow generation as compared to peers. We maintain L&T as our top pick
in the sector and maintain our Buy rating on the stock with a target price of
Rs.1,641.
JSW Steel (CMP: Rs.620 / TP: - / Upside: -)
JSW Steel reported better-than-expected standalone results for 4QFY2012 on
account of higher-than-expected sales volumes. The company's net sales grew by
35.3% yoy to Rs.9,511cr (above our estimate of Rs.8,406cr). Net sales growth
was driven by increased steel volumes (+33.3% yoy to 2.3mn tonnes) and
realization (+6.0% yoy to Rs.43,003/tonne). Although JSW Steel’s net sales grew
by 35.3% yoy, its EBITDA decreased by 0.1% yoy to Rs.1,652cr and EBITDA margin
slipped by 616bp yoy to 17.4% on account of higher raw-material prices. The
company reported exceptional item related to forex gain of Rs.199cr during the
quarter. Interest expenses grew by 140.7% yoy to Rs.368cr. Hence, adjusted net
profit decreased by 33.6% yoy to Rs.553cr (higher than our estimate of
Rs.432cr). Reported PAT declined by 9.7% yoy to Rs.752cr. On a consolidated
basis, the company reported net sales of Rs.10,153cr (+40.8% yoy), EBITDA of
Rs.1,887cr (+13.6% yoy) and adjusted PAT of Rs.480cr (-39.6% yoy). The company
expects to produce 8.5mn tonnes of steel during FY2013. We keep our rating and
target price under review.
Ashok Leyland (CMP: Rs.26 / TP: Under Review / Upside: -)
Ashok Leyland (AL) reported in-line results for 4QFY2012. The company’s net
sales registered healthy 12% yoy growth to Rs.4,311cr, led by strong volume growth
of 20% yoy. Volume performance was boosted by the newly launched LCV Dost,
which accounted for ~14% of total sales during the quarter. While volumes in
the MHCV goods segment declined by 3% yoy, MHCV passenger volumes jumped by 26%
yoy. Net average realization, however, witnessed a decline of ~8% yoy, largely
on account of higher contribution from the lower priced Dost vehicle. EBITDA
margin declined by 230bp yoy to 10.9% on account of lower-margin product Dost
and due to a 47% yoy increase in other expenditure, which could be due to
increased advertising spends. As a result, operating profit declined by 7.5%
yoy to Rs.470cr. Net profit declined by 13.2% yoy to Rs.259cr, which was
in-line with our expectation. Higher interest (up 32% yoy) and depreciation
expense (up 24% yoy) also impacted the company’s bottom-line performance. We
maintain our Buy rating on the stock; however, our target price is under
review. We shall release a detailed result note post the earnings conference
call with the management.
Abbott India (CMP: Rs.1,505 / TP: Rs.1,628 / Upside: 8.1%)
For 1QCY2012, Abbott India reported a muted set of numbers. The company's
top line was marginally lower by 2.7% qoq, from Rs.386cr to Rs.376cr. Numbers
are not comparable to 1QCY2011, as the company’s results were merged with that
of Solvay Pharma in August 2011. The company's EBITDA margin contracted by
648bp qoq in 1QCY2012, mainly due to increased employee expenses and other
expenses. Depreciation for the quarter increased by 25% qoq, while tax rate
stood at 41.9%, thus leading to muted PAT. The company made provisions of
Rs.18.69cr for change in its accounting for sales return and change its
depreciation method to straight line method from written-down methods,
resulting in write back of depreciation of Rs.29.08cr. This led to net profit
of Rs.27.08cr, a 26.6% decline on a qoq basis. We expect the company to post
better revenue going forward on the back of improved product portfolio and
synergies to reduce costs going forward. Also, change in depreciation method
will add to the bottom line. We recommend Accumulate on the stock with a
revised target price of Rs.1,628, based on a target PE of 18x for CY2013.
Monnet Ispat & Energy (CMP: Rs.457 / TP: - / Upside: -)
Monnet Ispat reported a robust set of numbers for 4QFY2012. The company's
net sales grew by 20.7% yoy to Rs.536cr mainly due to increased realizations.
However, raw-material cost as a percentage of sales increased to 59.8% in
4QFY2012 compared to 55.7% in 4QFY2011. Hence, EBITDA increased only by 10.4%
yoy to Rs.138cr, while EBITDA margin contracted by 34bp yoy to 25.7%. Interest
expenses increased by 28.8% yoy to Rs.24cr, while other income increased by
20.0% yoy to Rs.12cr. Consequently, net profit grew by 13.6% yoy to Rs.83cr.
The company plans a capex of Rs.1,500cr for its upcoming power plants and
Rs.800cr for steel capacity expansion during FY2013. The company reported that
the implementation of 1,050MW power plant at Angul is on track, and it is
expected to be operational in 2HFY2014.
We maintain our Buy recommendation on the stock; our target price is under
review.
IVRCL (CMP: Rs.45 / TP: - / Upside: -)
IVRCL reported a disappointing set of numbers for 4QFY2012, with
lower-thanexpected performance on all fronts. The company’s revenue declined by
22.1% yoy to Rs.1,598cr, below our estimate of Rs.1,682cr. On the operating
margin front, the company posted dismal margin of 6.4%, reporting a dip of
230bp yoy, below our estimate of 8.0%. Interest cost came in at Rs.66.1cr,
which was flat on a yoy as well as qoq basis. On the earnings front, IVRCL
reported a 92.3% decline yoy to Rs.5cr, against our estimate of a 56.6%
decline. This was on account of poor performance on the revenue as well as
margin front. Post the conference call, we would come out with a detailed note.
Currently, the target price and rating are under review.
Orchid Chemicals (CMP: Rs.161 / TP: Under review / Upside: -)
Orchid Chemicals reported sales and the net profit came in below
expectations. For the quarter, the company posted sales of Rs.485cr, a dip of
8.1% yoy. On the operating front, the operating profits also dipped by 8.0%,
almost stagnant at last year levels. For the full year the company has posted
Rs.1839cr, registering a growth of 7.0% yoy, while the net profit came in at
Rs.17.5cr. The full year OPM’s came in at 17.5%. For FY2013, the company has
guided towards a 10-15% yoy growth on the topline. Currently the stock is under
review.
Madhucon Projects (CMP: Rs.46 / TP: - / Upside: -)
For 4QFY2012, Madhucon Projects (MPL) reported a mixed set of numbers with
revenue coming below our expectations; however, higher EBITDAM and other income
resulted in better-than-expected earnings performance. On the top-line front,
MPL posted a disappointing performance, with a yoy/qoq decline of 27.1%/30.8%
to Rs.432cr, way below our expectation of Rs.659cr. EBITDAM came in at 11.8%,
posting a jump of 120bp/340bp on a yoy/qoq basis against our expectation of
9.2%. Interest cost stood at Rs.27cr, registering a jump of 9.5% on a yoy basis,
but down by 9.8% on a sequential basis. On the earnings front, the company
posted a decline of 22.5% on a yoy basis at Rs.15cr, in-line with our
expectation of Rs.14cr despite a higher tax rate (38.2%) on the back of higher
EBITDAM and other income (Rs.14cr). We maintain our Buy view on the stock
however the target price is under review.
Result Previews
JK Lakshmi Cement
JK Lakshmi Cement (JKLC) is set to declare its 4QFY2012 results. For the
quarter, we expect JKLC to post 5.9% yoy growth in its top line to Rs.439cr,
driven by volume growth and higher realization. The company’s OPM is expected
to increase by 87bp yoy to 19.4%. The bottom line is expected to register
growth of 36% yoy to Rs.43.4cr. We maintain our Buy view on the stock with a
target price of Rs.79.
Dishman
For the 4QFY2012, Dishman is expected to post top-line growth of 11.3% yoy
to Rs.383cr.The company is expected to post EBITDA of 17.8%, up 170bps yoy. On
the net profit front, the company is expected to post net profit of Rs.28.5cr,
registering 24.0% yoy growth. We maintain our buy with a target price of Rs.92.
Economic and Political News
- Government notifies free sugar exports
- Inflation rises to 7.23% in April, vegetable prices shoot up
- Mumbai home prices fell 9.1 % between March 2011-12: Knight Frank
- No plan to revamp Food Corporation India: Government
- Oil slides on euro zone, China fears
Corporate News
- Ashok Leyland Nissan inks Rs.4,150cr MoU with Tamil Nadu government
- Bhel bags Rs.380cr order for gas-based plant in Rajasthan
- Jain Irrigation announces buyout of 100% stake in JV firm
- Moody's downgrades ICICI, HDFC, Axis banks, LIC
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