This story first appeared in DNA Money edition on Tuesday, July 23, 2013.
Engineering and construction major Larsen & Toubro’s (L&T’s) first quarter (Q1, April-June) net profit declined 12% on-year to Rs 756 crore but revenue grew 5% to Rs 12,555 crore while operating profit margin declined 0.6% to 8.5%.
But the firm’s MD and CEO K Venkataramanan struck a note of optimism that L&T retains its ability to undertake and deliver projects in a way that adds to shareholder value.
Yet, he conceded that “on the ground scenario” in the country is not rosy but full of challenges.
“We are going through the most challenging times... The government is trying to push some big ticket items primarily in the areas of freight corridor, transmission and roadways.”
R Shankar Raman, CFO, said that opportunities are limited and there is competitive pressure on pricing. “I don’t think you’ll find (now) margin levels reported earlier in 2007-2009...”
L&T management expects to maintain its guidance on Ebitda margins of 11-11.5% for the year. During Q1, order inflow improved 28% to Rs 25,159 crore, increasing the order book size by 8% to Rs 1,65,393 crore.
Analysts tracking L&T said Q1 numbers were lower than expected, hence the stock’s 7.5% dive to Rs 901.95 on BSE on Monday, the biggest drop in nearly four years.
Sanjeev Zarbade, vice-president of the private client group research at Kotak Securities, said the Q1 numbers were disappointing in the short term; however, on a long-term basis, they remain positive.
Viral Shah, senior research analyst - infrastructure, Angel Broking, concurred. But he pointed out that L&T’s numbers were below expectations on both the revenue and profitability fronts. He attributed this to “lower-than-expected execution and poor operating performance”.
However, L&T may benefit from the gradual recovery in the capital expenditure cycle, given its diverse exposure to sectors, strong balance sheet and cash flow generation as compared to its peers, said Shah.
So, Angel Broking is likely to revise its target price and rating on L&T, said Shah.
L&T officials said the country’s infrastructure industry has not been faring well for a while now due to economic slowdown. Hence, the company has been aggressively pursuing international markets, which helped increase its international order book size by 16% during Q1.
“While international markets have their own challenges, we are making inroads there and the results should be visible in the near future. There is a business opportunity overseas and we will secure our share, thereby insulating ourselves from the India story, which is likely to be a little slow in the next two years,” said Venkataramanan.
Engineering and construction major Larsen & Toubro’s (L&T’s) first quarter (Q1, April-June) net profit declined 12% on-year to Rs 756 crore but revenue grew 5% to Rs 12,555 crore while operating profit margin declined 0.6% to 8.5%.
But the firm’s MD and CEO K Venkataramanan struck a note of optimism that L&T retains its ability to undertake and deliver projects in a way that adds to shareholder value.
Yet, he conceded that “on the ground scenario” in the country is not rosy but full of challenges.
“We are going through the most challenging times... The government is trying to push some big ticket items primarily in the areas of freight corridor, transmission and roadways.”
R Shankar Raman, CFO, said that opportunities are limited and there is competitive pressure on pricing. “I don’t think you’ll find (now) margin levels reported earlier in 2007-2009...”
L&T management expects to maintain its guidance on Ebitda margins of 11-11.5% for the year. During Q1, order inflow improved 28% to Rs 25,159 crore, increasing the order book size by 8% to Rs 1,65,393 crore.
Analysts tracking L&T said Q1 numbers were lower than expected, hence the stock’s 7.5% dive to Rs 901.95 on BSE on Monday, the biggest drop in nearly four years.
Sanjeev Zarbade, vice-president of the private client group research at Kotak Securities, said the Q1 numbers were disappointing in the short term; however, on a long-term basis, they remain positive.
Viral Shah, senior research analyst - infrastructure, Angel Broking, concurred. But he pointed out that L&T’s numbers were below expectations on both the revenue and profitability fronts. He attributed this to “lower-than-expected execution and poor operating performance”.
However, L&T may benefit from the gradual recovery in the capital expenditure cycle, given its diverse exposure to sectors, strong balance sheet and cash flow generation as compared to its peers, said Shah.
So, Angel Broking is likely to revise its target price and rating on L&T, said Shah.
L&T officials said the country’s infrastructure industry has not been faring well for a while now due to economic slowdown. Hence, the company has been aggressively pursuing international markets, which helped increase its international order book size by 16% during Q1.
“While international markets have their own challenges, we are making inroads there and the results should be visible in the near future. There is a business opportunity overseas and we will secure our share, thereby insulating ourselves from the India story, which is likely to be a little slow in the next two years,” said Venkataramanan.
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