Tag - EBITDA margin

Container unavailability is a serious challenge going forward- Vinati Organics

 

Update on the Indian Equity Market:

On Wednesday, NIFTY50 ended in green at 16,345 (+2%). Among the sectoral indices, MEDIA(+4%), REALTY(+2.9%), and AUTO (+2.8%) were the top gainers, whereas METAL (-0.4%), was the only loser. Among the stocks, ASIANPAINT (+6%), RELIANCE (+5.5%), and BAJFINANCE (+5%) were the top gainers while SHREECEM (-2.6%), ONGC (-2.5%), and POWERGRID (-2%) led the losers.

Excerpts of an interview with Ms. Vinati Saraf Mutreja, MD, Vinati Organics (VINATIORGA) with CNBCTV18 on 8th March 2022:

  • Raw materials come from refineries and are crude dependent. As crude prices increase, VINATIORGA’s raw material prices will also increase. It has a pass-through clause for most of its products as they have formula-based pricing and can pass on these raw material price hikes to its customers to a certain extent.
  • Exporters like VINATIORGA are facing logistical issues like the unavailability of containers and this is expected to be a serious challenge going forward.
  • On a positive note, VINATIORGA is witnessing good demand. Its main product Acrylamide Tertiary-butyl Sulfonic acid (ATBS) which is used in oil and gas and oil drilling is witnessing positive demand from North America and Europe.
  • Ibuprofen which was very slow last year has started picking up. Butyl Phenol is also experiencing a breakthrough in the market.
  • Ms. Mutreja expects the EBITDA margins to be maintained between 28-30%. EBITDA per kilogram remains more or less constant because of the formula pricing. It sometimes does not necessarily capture some of the fixed expenses like utility costs, fuel costs, overheads, and general inflation. These expenses get hedged as capacities get expanded and utilization levels improve owing to better demand.
  • VINATIORGA saw very high logistics costs in CY21 which eventually started tapering down by Dec-21-Jan 22. After the Russia-Ukraine war started in February, the costs have gone up again. Obtaining bookings and container availability has become a challenge for the entire industry, especially in North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
  • Costs have gone up 20-30% for US and Europe bookings in Jan-Feb 22.
  • VINATIORGA is foraying into the production of niche chemicals through Veeral Organics (a subsidiary) at a total capex of Rs 2,500 mn. It involves different products one of which has application in the fragrance industry, one is used as a polymer additive, one is used in the pharmaceutical industry. This is a greenfield project and is expected to be completed in 15 months. Total revenue of Rs 3,000 mn is expected from this project.
  • Veeral Additives is another project which is a merger with VINATIORGA. It is subject to NCLT approval which is causing some delay. This anti-oxidants plant which is used in resins and plastics is expected to come on stream later in March-22.

Asset Multiplier Comments

  • Earlier, customers had stocked Ibuprofen due to Covid-19 related concerns. Due to the lower-than-expected consumption and higher inventory, demand for IBB has also reduced. The demand for IBB may pick up again from March 2022.
  • The new capex for Veeral Organics involves the manufacturing of five new products. The company may target 10% of the total market size of Rs 25 bn.
  • The headwinds of high raw material costs and higher logistic costs may keep the company’s margins under pressure for the next 2 quarters. We expect the EBITDA margins to normalize back to around 30% level by September 2022. 

Consensus Estimate: (Source: Marketscreener and Investing.com websites)

  • The closing price of Vinati Organics was ₹ 1,858/- as of 08-March-2022. It traded at 58x/42x/33x the consensus earnings estimate of ₹ 32/44/56 for FY22E/FY23E/FY24E respectively.
  • The consensus target price of ₹ 2,052/- implies a P/E multiple of 36x on FY24E EPS estimate of ₹ 56/-

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.”

Lighting category is 2x that of fans category, see significant growth potential – Orient Electric

Update on the Indian Equity Market:

Nifty continued its losing streak, ending in the red for the fourth straight day ahead of the US Fed reserve policy statement on Wednesday. Nifty closed at 14721 (-1.3%), dragged by the PSU BANK (-3.8%), MEDIA (-3.0%), and REALTY (-3.0%) indices. None of the sectoral indices ended with gains. Among the stocks, only ITC (+1.5%), and INFY (+0.2%) closed in the green while BPCL (-5.0%), ONGC (-4.7%), TATAMOTORS (-4.5%) led the laggards.

Excerpts of an interview with Mr. Rakesh Khanna, MD, and CEO, Orient Electric with CNBC TV-18 on 16th March 2021:

  • The sales in 3QFY21 were good for the entire industry, due to pent-up demand, and staying at home has increased interest in home appliances.
  • The strong demand is continuing in 4QFY21, it is partly pent-up demand and partly due to change in behavior.
  • The management expects the EBITDA margin in 4QFY21 to be better than 3QFY21. This is due to operational leverage which comes with increased revenues with costs remaining stable, some good opportunities to help improve efficiencies. This efficiency improvement has largely been due to cost-cutting.
  • With raw material costs increasing, there could be some pressure on the margins in the time to come.
  • Recently, the company has diversified into lighting, switchgear, air coolers, and water heaters.
  • Lighting as a category is nearly twice in terms of size compared to the fans category, and the management expects significant growth in that segment.
  • Coolers are gaining traction as people are worried about getting fresh air. Water heaters adoption is going up due to change in consumer behavior.
  • The kitchen appliances are doing very well. Mr. Khanna is of the opinion the new categories the company has diversified into have a lot of potential.
  • To get a better brand recall in these new categories, the Ad spend could increase for the new categories.
  • They are operating at full capacity and the surge in demand has enabled the company to improve efficiencies at existing production facilities.
  • The company has been improving its EBITDA margin on a YoY basis for the last couple of years. As the company continues scaling up, they are confident of achieving operational efficiency to achieve better EBITDA margins.

Asset Multiplier Comments

  • During the lockdown period, consumer appliances and electrical sales were impacted. The pent-up demand and banning of certain items from China have helped the domestic electrical appliances companies. As a result, these companies are diversifying from their legacy categories to other categories.
  • Orient Electric already enjoys strong recall in the minds of consumers, being present in India for over six decades. Such a company will enjoy customer loyalty when it enters into new product categories.

Consensus Estimate: (Source: market screener website)

  • The closing price of Orient Electric was ₹ 313/- as of 17-March-2021. It traded at 61x/ 48x/ 39x the consensus earnings estimate of ₹ 5.1/ 6.5/ 8.0 per share for FY21E/FY22E/FY23E respectively.
  • The consensus target price of ₹ 310 implies a PE multiple of 39x on FY23E EPS of ₹ 8.0/-.

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.”