Marico rallied over 7 percent on May 7 after the homegrown FMCG major posted over two-fold increase in consolidated net profit at Rs 405 crore for the fourth quarter of 2018-19, aided by one-time write-back of tax provisions amounting to Rs 188 crore.
The company had reported a net profit of Rs 183 crore in the corresponding period of fiscal 2017-18.
Revenue from operations rose to Rs 1,609 crore for the March quarter, as compared with Rs 1,503 crore in the same period of 2017-18, Marico said in a regulatory filing.
Reacting to the news, Macquarie maintained its outperform rating on Marico but raised its target price to Rs 412 from Rs 394 earlier.
The EBITDA miss was mainly on account of higher investments in A&P as well as higher promotions. The global investment bank slashed earnings on account of lower pricing growth & higher A&P spend.
Macquarie expects 220 bps of margin expansion in the next 2 years. It slashed FY20/21e earnings by 3-5 percent.
Another global brokerage firm, CLSA, put out an aggressive target of Rs 465 on Marico which translates into an upside of over 30 percent from current levels.
The FMCG major reported 8 percent domestic volume growth with an eight-quarter high gross margin. The Q4 performance stood out in every aspect vis-a-vis most peers; however, there was a slight EBITDA miss but a beat at net earnings due to lower taxes.
Going forward, copra prices are expected to remain benign. Healthy growth was driven by Saffola and good margin expansion. The company remains a preferred pick in the sector, and is among few cos which provides growth and margin visibility in the space.
Disclaimer: The above report is compiled from information available on public platforms. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
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