Piramal Healthcare Acquires U.S. Inhalation Anesthetic Gas Distribution Business of RxElite

January 28th, 2009 by | No Comments | Filed in Politics

Mumbai, January 27, 2009: Piramal Healthcare Limited (“Piramal”) [NSE: Pirhealth, BSE: 500302], one of India’s largest pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, and RxElite, Inc. [OTCBB: RXEI.OB] jointly announced today that Piramal has acquired the entire issued outstanding capital stock of RxElite Holdings, Inc. (“Holdings”), the wholly owned subsidiary and the inhalation anesthetic gas distribution arm of RxElite, Inc. for cash consideration of approximately $4.2 million. In addition, Holdings retained approximately $3.2 million of outstanding indebtedness. A significant portion of the net proceeds from the sale will be used by RxElite, Inc. to retire a portion of its long term debt.

The acquisition gives Piramal ownership of Holdings’ sales and distribution network in the U.S. and complements Piramal’s pending acquisition of inhalation anesthetic gas manufacturer Minrad International Inc. (“Minrad”), announced in December 2008, which is awaiting the approval of stockholders of Minrad. Holdings’ customers include hospitals and hospital group purchasing organizations, national and regional wholesalers, outpatient surgery centers and ambulatory care clinics.

Piramal’s acquisition of Holdings includes approximately 2,800 vaporizers required for administration of the inhalation of anesthetic gas, of which 2,300 are installed at various customer locations. Piramal will continue the employment of Holdings’ current sales and marketing specialists, as well as key administrative personnel.

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare records 21% growth

January 27th, 2009 by | No Comments | Filed in Results

§         Sales up 21% and Profits up 16%

Highlights for the Year

§         High double-digit growth in Sales and Profits for second consecutive year in 2008

§         Recommended a Final Dividend @ 50%, a total of 150 % for the year

§         Focus on existing and new products through innovation

§         Cost curtailment initiatives to control cost of inputs

§         Aggressive Retention and Development programs for key talent

Gurgaon, NCR,  Jan 27 2009: GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Limited (GSKCH) today declared its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2008. Net Sales at Rs. 15,42,78  lakhs recorded an impressive growth of 21% over 2007 with PAT at Rs. 1,88,33 lakhs growing by 16% for the same period and PBT growing by 16% over last year to Rs. 2,84,08 lakhs. For the Fourth quarter, net sales were Rs. 3,33,37 lakhs, while PBT and PAT were Rs. 50,72 lakhs and Rs. 32,58 lakhs respectively.

 

In the Golden Jubilee year of the Company, the Board of Directors recommended a final dividend @ Rs. 5 per equity share of Rs.10 each to share success with its shareholders. This is in addition to the interim dividend of 100% paid during November 2008.

 

“Despite market sentiments, GSKCH continued its strong performance in 2008 by achieving high double digit sales growth for yet another year. This has been achieved through focus on existing brands and cost control measures” said Zubair Ahmed, Managing Director, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Ltd.

Satyam Board Appoints Goldman Sachs & Avendus as Investment Bankers

January 27th, 2009 by | No Comments | Filed in News

 Hyderabad, INDIA, January 27, 2009: Satyam Computer Services Limited (NYSE: SAY) today announced key decisions at its Board meeting on 27th January, 2009, in Hyderabad.
Today’s board meeting – the fourth since its reconstitution on 10th Jan 09 – was chaired by Mr. Manoharan.  The Board had earlier met on 26th Jan 2009, for over three hours.
The Board has appointed Boston Consulting Group as Management Advisors to support the Directors and the Satyam Leadership team. A dedicated 3 member senior team from BCG is expected to work closely during this revival process. “An important point to note is that they will not be charging Satyam any fees for their services and this reflects on their commitment to the task on hand” Mr. Parekh stated.
The board today said it had concluded most of the discussions relating to the financing requirements of the company. These funds will help tide over the immediate, compelling operational expenses.
The company reaffirmed that the salaries for January 2009 will be paid, as scheduled and that this would be achieved from its internal accruals / receivables.  Further validations have been done relating to the employee numbers of Satyam Computer Services Ltd., and there are sufficient data points to reinforce the understanding that the earlier reported numbers hold good.
The proposed Management structure was further discussed and a formal statement reflecting the plan of action will be released this week.
The board has announced the appointment of Goldman Sachs and Avendus as Investment bankers to advise the company on the way forward and to explore various strategic options.
The various options under consideration include :
a.    Identifying strategic investors
b.    Obtaining expressions of Interest and
c.    Ensuring a fair, transparent approach to the entire process
Commenting on the move, Mr. Manoharan said “The Board has received several proposals from Corporate entities as well as from select PE firms. Some have shown interest in evaluating Satyam as an integrated entity, while others have expressed interest in portions of Satyam’s business. A sale of ‘parts’ of Satyam at this stage would be contrary to the mandate of regulating the affairs of Satyam as a going concern, as stipulated by the Government of India. It is therefore not an option that is being evaluated currently”
Responding to the move by a corporate entity to acquire large portions of Satyam shares in the open market, Mr. Manoharan said “The reasons for the same are best explained by the purchaser. It should not be taken as an indication of support by the Government nominated Board, for change of control of Satyam, at this stage. Appropriate, fair and transparent measures for enabling open bids will be devised by the company’s Board in consultation with SEBI and the Government of India, since adequate number of bidding interests have been evinced to the new Board. It is important to keep in view that this is now a Government administered company, reporting to the Company Law Board and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.”
Speaking on customers, Mr. Kiran Karnik said “I have been talking to quite a few customers and partners, every day. It is heartening to note that they continue to engage with us, confidently. While a few are discussing risk mitigation plans, they are closely monitoring and wanting to see Satyam’s return to long term sustainability. We have been assured by the actions of some of our key customers, who have sent strong messages to other vendors, to refrain from poaching Satyam’s associates or business. There is also a steady improvement in the Statement of Work (SoW) extensions. We continue to reach out to our customers, where required, to reassure them at every stage”
“All these actions reflect the sense of urgency and determination and these steps will help restore stakeholder confidence, ensure stability and growth and bring back the glory that the Satyamites truly deserve” said Mr. Manoharan, who chaired today’s meeting.

Zee News Ltd Revenue UP 45.4%

January 26th, 2009 by | No Comments | Filed in Results

CONSOLIDATED EBIDTA OF Rs. 299 MILLION, UP 35.8%
EBIDTA MARGIN OF 20.9%
CONSOLIDATED NET PROFIT OF Rs. 151 MILLION, UP 18.4%
Highlights
???? Advertisement revenue was Rs 1.12 billion for the quarter ended December 31, 2008, an
increase of 38.8% as compared to the corresponding period last fiscal.
???? Subscription revenue was Rs 236 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2008, an increase
of 46.4% as compared to the corresponding period last fiscal.
???? EBIDTA was Rs 299 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2008, as against Rs. 220
million during the corresponding period last fiscal. EBIDTA margin was 20.9%
???? Net Profit after Tax was Rs. 151 million for the third quarter ended December 31, 2008, an
increase of 18.4%
???? All channels’ viewership share of ZNL channels in the total C&S Universe grew to 5.47% in Q3
FY09 as compared to 4.18 % in the corresponding period last fiscal.
???? The flagship channel ‘Zee News’ continued to gain market and revenue share, while sticking to
sensible news. Both ‘Zee Marathi’ and ‘Zee Bangla’ maintained leadership in their respective
genres.
???? ‘Zee Business’ recorded sustained improvement in viewership share while 24 Ghanta
maintained its leadership in the genre.
???? Under “new businesses”, ‘Zee Kannada’ and ‘Zee Telugu’ recorded a YoY GRP growth of 90.8%
and 47.4% respectively while ‘Zee 24 Taas’ saw an increase of 148.3%.
???? ‘Zee Tamil’ is now well distributed and progressing as per our plan. In West Bengal, operating
involvement of ZNL team with Akaash Bangla got initiated w.e.f January 1, ’09.
EARNINGS RELEASE FOR THE QUARTER ENDED DEC. 31, 2008
Page 2 of 5
Mumbai, India; January 22, 2009 – Zee News Limited (ZNL) today reported third quarter fiscal ‘09
consolidated revenue of Rs. 1.43 billion, representing 45.4 % growth over the corresponding quarter
last fiscal. The consolidated EBIDTA stood at Rs. 299 million, up by 35.8 %. Profit before tax for the
quarter ended December 31, 2008 was Rs. 244 million while Net Profit was Rs. 151 million.
Subscription revenue continued to deliver YoY growth, a whooping 46% over last year, cashing in on
the extensive DTH proliferation. However, increased prudence in the payment of carriage fees has led
to a temporary slowdown in the subscription revenue from analogue connections in this quarter,
compared to the immediately preceding quarter. The company expects this to be more than
compensated going forward.
The Board of Directors in its meeting held today, has approved and taken on record the un-audited
financial results of Zee News Limited for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.
Commenting on the results, Mr. Subhash Chandra, Chairman said, “We are extremely pleased with our
robust growth despite the financial slowdown. It seems to be a dream run given the current global
economic situation. Our bouquet composition, aggressive and innovative strategy and an ever costconscious
approach to business helped us achieve this feat – something seemingly impossible for most
other media organizations.”
“The company is no longer dependent on two or three key channels. With growing traction in, Zee
Telugu, Zee Business, Zee Kannada and the regional news channels, Zee News Limited is all set to add
additional driver channels going forward. On one hand we are strategically expanding our presence,
while on the other hand, the channels which are not likely to make profit in the near future have been
critically reviewed by the company. The Board has approved the closure of Zee Gujarati w.e.f April 30,
’09. The forthcoming U. P News channel launch will be a key strategic expansion along with other
regional proliferation of our products and services,” he added.
“Zee News Limited is primed to deliver as per the expectations of the investor fraternity and I strongly
believe that its diversified presence and a well laid out expansion strategy – without compromising
current profitability – are going to be value drivers in the time to come,” said Mr. Chandra.
Mr. Laxmi Narain Goel, Managing Director, Zee News Limited, said, “The strong third quarter
performance of the company is not only testimony of our sound business model and practices but also
speaks volumes about the financial discipline followed.”
“Maintaining the uphill trend, the company has recorded a healthy 45.4% increase in top-line of Rs.
1.43 billion. This was led by advertising revenue growth of 38.8% and subscription revenue growth of
46.4%. Consolidated EBIDTA stood at Rs. 299 million, up 35.8%. I am glad that in this era of
perceptible economic slowdown, Zee News Limited has managed to grow and expand both in market
share and revenue,” said Mr. Goel.
EARNINGS RELEASE FOR THE QUARTER ENDED DEC. 31, 2008
Page 3 of 5
Elaborating on the company’s performance, Mr. Barun Das, CEO said, “The ‘existing businesses’
continued to grow and recorded 23% growth in operating revenues while the same for ‘new
businesses’ was 333.3%. While the performance of existing businesses soared high, we consciously
continued with our investment in our leading channels in order to maintain & grow our lead so that we
enjoy higher traction going forward. Viewership experienced an upward spiral with the all channel
viewership share of Zee News Limited channels growing by 31% over the third quarter last fiscal.”

R.Sridhar to take charge as CFO of HUL in July

January 26th, 2009 by | No Comments | Filed in Politics

 

Mumbai, January 26, 2009: Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) announced that D.Sundaram has decided to retire from the Board of the company and from his role as the Vice Chairman and CFO, at the shareholders Annual General Meeting scheduled in July 2009.

He has served the business with distinction for 33 years and has led the Finance and IT functions of the company for more than 9 years, initially as Director and later as the Vice Chairman. He has been an executive member of the Board of Directors of the company since May 1999.  In his long and distinguished career, Mr Sundaram has held several senior positions both in India and overseas, including as the Finance Director of Brooke Bond Lipton India Ltd..

R. Sridhar, 44, till recently Vice President, Finance and Controller, Unilever, for the Asia, Africa and Central & Eastern Europe (AACEE) region, will succeed Mr Sundaram as Executive Director, Finance & IT. Mr Sridhar will be proposed for election to the Board of the company at the forthcoming AGM of the shareholders.

Harish Manwani, Chairman, HUL, said, “I wish to take the opportunity to express my deep appreciation for the significant contribution that Sundaram has made to the business in India and on the board of HUL. I am also pleased that Sridhar will take over as CFO of HUL on Sundaram’s retirement. He brings with him rich experience of diverse leadership responsibilities in the Finance function for Unilever in AACEE Region and prior to that in India. The changes reflect our strong commitment towards leadership development and our tradition of leveraging experiences and synergies of talent across markets.”

Q3 Financial Results of Shriram Transport Finance Company Ltd.

January 26th, 2009 by | No Comments | Filed in Results

Mumbai : The Board Meeting of Shriram Transport Finance Company Limited (STFC), the largest asset financing NBFC in the country, was held today to consider the financial results as reviewed by the joint auditors for the quarter and nine month ended 31st. December, 2008.

The revenues for the third quarter ended 31st. December, 2008 surged by 48.22% to Rs. 972.85 crores as against Rs. 656.36 crores of the same period previous year. The profit after tax also rose by 34.88% to Rs. 149.31 crores as against Rs. 110.70 crores recorded in the same period previous year.

The revenues for the nine month ended 31st. December, 2008 surged by 58.84% to Rs. 2,697.14 crores as against Rs. 1,698.00 crores of the same period previous year. The profit after tax also rose by 64.96 % to Rs. 458.54 crores as against Rs. 277.97 crores recorded in the same period previous year.

Total Assets under Management as on 31st. December, 2008 surged by 35.80% to Rs. 22,796 crores as against Rs. 16,786 crores of the same period previous year.

Hindustan Unilever Limited – Q3 Net sales grow by 17%

January 26th, 2009 by | No Comments | Filed in Results

Key Highlights:
 FMCG grows 21%
 Profit before Interest, Tax and Exceptional Items grows 15%
 PAT from ordinary activities before exceptional items grows by 13%
 After exceptional items grows by 1%, due to higher exceptional gains in DQ’07 (base)

Mumbai, January 25th 2009: Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) announced its results for December Quarter 2008. Net Sales grew by 17% and FMCG by 21% with underlying volume growth of 2%. Strong volume growth in Personal Products and Foods business was partly offset by the impact of slowdown in Soaps and Detergents, due to high input cost led price growth and market volume contraction in Detergents.

HPC Business grew 21% driven by price growth in Soaps and Detergents and all round volume growth in Personal Products. Laundry business grew strongly across all brands and growth in Personal Wash was led by Lux, Lifebuoy, Dove and Pears. Shampoo category continued growth momentum with robust volume growth, led by Sunsilk. Growth in Skin category was driven by Fair & Lovely and Close Up in the Oral category. Dove range of deodorants was launched in this quarter and Surf Excel Quickwash was re-launched.

Foods business grew by 23% with a strong performance across Beverages, Processed foods and Ice-Cream. Tea, Processed Foods and Ice-Cream all delivered strong volume growth. Gelato range of Ice-Creams was launched in this quarter.

Pure-It water business now has a national footprint with availability across more than 700 towns. Performance in this new category is tracking in line with plans.

Input cost inflation has started receding and if sustained, will reflect in lower consuming cost. However, impact of high input cost inflation continued in this quarter. Year -to-date investment behind brands continues at 10.1% of turnover, growing at 16%. Spends during the quarter remain competitive, although marginally lower by 1.3% over DQ’07. In a difficult economic environment, PBIT (bei) grew 15.1% and PAT (bei) grew 12.7%. PBIT margin for the quarter at  16.8% of Sales, was 20 bps below December quarter 2007. Profit after Tax (PAT) from ordinary activities, after accounting for exceptional items grew 1%, due to higher base effect.

Mr. Harish Manwani, Chairman commented: “We continue to deliver strong top line and operating profit growth. Softening commodity prices augur well for the business as we sustain our focus on delivering superior consumer value. In the current economic scenario, market development and consumer spending are being monitored closely to manage the business dynamically. We remain determined to leverage our strong portfolio and scale to deliver competitive and profitable growth.”

Motilal Oswal views on Inidan Bank, Pantaloon Retail, HDFC, Great Offshore and TCS

January 24th, 2009 by | No Comments | Filed in Research, Updates

Indian Bank (INBK IN; Mkt Cap USD1.1b, CMP Rs122, Buy);

Indian Bank’s reported NII grew 25% YoY (adjusted NII grew 49% YoY) v/s our estimate of 19% YoY growth. Business growth remained strong and asset quality improved.

n    In 3QFY09 NIMs improved 5bp QoQ and 8bp YoY to 3.91%.

n    Loans grew 38% YoY and 5% QoQ to Rs505b. Deposits grew by 31% YoY and 8% QoQ to Rs697b. Core deposits grew 21% from March 2008 levels v/s overall deposit growth of 14%. The share of bulk deposits reduced to 9.5% v/s 10.3% in 2QFY09.

n    Fees grew by 43% YoY to Rs1.5b. In 9MFY09, fee growth was 34% YoY to Rs4.7b.

n    Asset quality continues to remain strong with GNPA ratio below 1% and provision coverage ratio of 83%. The bank has comfortable CAR of 12.7% (Tier I at 10.6%).  
Maintain Buy: We like the bank’s strategy of growing core deposits, focusing on margins and growing fees. However, We expect margins to decline in FY10 (15bp) as we expect loan repricing to be faster than deposit repricing. Other income growth would remain under pressure as fees  growth slows down and recoveries drop. We have upgraded our net profit estimates by 4% in FY09 to account for higher loan growth and improvement in margins. We have kept the FY10 estimates unchanged and factored in the slippage ratio of 3% v/s 0.5% in 9MFY09. We expect the bank to report EPS of Rs30 and BV of Rs150 in FY10. RoE and RoA would be 21% and 1.4% in FY10. The stock trades at 0.8x FY10E BV and 4.2x FY10E EPS. Maintain Buy.

 

Pantaloon Retail (PF IN; Mkt Cap USD0.5b, CMP Rs166, Buy);
n Pantaloon Retail’s 2QFY09 results were below estimates with sales of Rs15.3b (v/s est of Rs18.2b), up 24.4% YoY. Gross margins declined 30bp YoY to 30.1%. While EBIDTA at Rs1.6b is lower than est of Rs1.7b, margins is higher at 10.3% v/s est of 9.3%. Adjusted PAT grew 6% to Rs335m (v/s est of Rs439m) impacted by 78% YoY increase in interest costs and 60% increase in depreciation.

n Slow down in discretionary consumer spend hits sales growth: Net sales at Rs15.3b grew 24% YoY v/s 56% increase in FY08. Decline in discretionary spend by consumers was visible in product categories like Mobiles, Electronics and Furniture, which impacted sales growth. In addition, sales in IT hubs have been impacted due to current uncertain economic environment. Same store sales growth declined 3% in value retailing, 10% in lifestyle and 14% in home retailing in the month of December.

n Lower material and staff cost results in 140bp margin expansion: Gross margin declined only 30bp due to change in product mix (decline in share of low margin Furniture, Mobile, Electronics etc). EBITDA margin increased 140bp on the back of lower staff cost (140bp decline) and other expenditure (30bp decline). We believe sustaining such margin would be challenging if the high margin lifestyle retail segment continues to witness demand slowdown.

n Downgrading estimates on lower space addition, same store sales: We believe the current economic slow down could have severe implication on expansion plans of retail majors, both on account of funding constraints and visibility of sales growth. During the first half the companies has added ~1msf of retail space, which is lower than guidance. Our revenue estimates stand lowered by 10% for FY09 and by 16% for FY10. Consequently, our PAT estimates are downgraded by 11% to Rs1.6b for FY09 and by 27% to Rs2.1b for FY10. The stock trades at 17.2x FY09E EPS of Rs9.6 and 13.3x FY10E EPS of Rs12.4. Maintain Buy.
HDFC (HDFC IN; Mkt Cap USD8b, CMP Rs1,372, Buy);

Below estimates: Reported PAT in 3QFY09 declined 16% to Rs5.5b (v/s est. of Rs6b). HDFC has provided towards exchange loss of Rs500m towards outstanding FCCBs during the quarter (booked in interest expense) – impacting the overall earnings Disbursements grew 17% YoY to Rs94b and sanctions declined 8% YoY to Rs96b in 3QFY09. Loan growth (incl. real estate CDs and bonds) slowed to 23% YoY (from 30% YoY in 1HFY09). Spreads declined QoQ from 2.23% to 2.17%. Fee income was Rs289m in 3QFY09 v/s Rs110m in 3QFY08. We await clarification.

 

n    Investment in MF has increased from Rs14.5b in September 2008 to Rs46.4b in December 2008. This liquidity built up was partly to take care of borrowing repayment commitments (Rs15b) during first week of January 2009. Management has consciously opted to remain liquid due to uncertainties in wholesale borrowing markets.

n    The difference between disbursals of Rs96b and actual increase in loan book of mere Rs17b during 3QFY09 was due to bulk repayments from corporate loan book. 

 

Cutting estimates and target price: We have cut our earnings estimates by 2% for FY09 and by 8% for FY10.  Key investment are valued (post 20% holding company discount) at Rs406 per share on FY09 basis and Rs467 per share on FY10 basis. Adjusted for these ventures the stock trades at 10.4x FY10E EPS and 2.1x FY10 adjusted book (for investments in subs). Maintain Buy with a revised target price of Rs1,688/share, an upside of 23%.

 
Great Offshore (GOFF IN; Mkt Cap USD0.2b, CMP Rs241, Buy);

 

n   Consolidated revenue and PAT sharply higher than expected: Great Offshore standalone 3QFY09 revenue is up 42% YoY at Rs2.8b. Consolidated revenue at Rs3.5b is significantly higher than our expected Rs2.8b. Standalone PAT is flat at Rs577m. However, consolidated PAT is at Rs781m is sharply higher than our expected Rs572m. The major reasons for higher than expected revenue and PAT are: (1) higher than expected utilization levels of assets, (2) in-chartering of vessels; and (3) higher than expected revenue (Rs290m vs Rs185m) in its international subsidiary Great Offshore (International), which operates a high-end AHTSV.

n    Operating highlights for the quarter: During the quarter, drilling rigs and harbor tugs were fully utilized. Utilization level for OSVs was also high at 94% (91% in 3QFY08). Towards end of November 2008, Great Offshore commenced operations for its heavy lift vessel, Malaviya Thirty-Three, at Khafji Oilfieds for Saudi Aramco. The value of the one-year firm charter is US$22 million, with option for two more extensions. Great Offshore commenced billing on its Rs2.34b lump-sum turnkey engineering contract with ONGC.

n    Raising FY09E EPS by 8%: Based on the 9mFY09 performance, we have raised our FY09 revenue estimate by 6%. We have lowered our FY09 EBITDA margin estimate from 44.5% to 43.3%. FY09 PAT and EPS estimates are revised up 8%. FY10 EPS estimate is down 1% mainly due to higher depreciation.

n    Stock at 4x FY09E, DCF-based target of Rs660, Buy: Great Offshore stock is currently trading at an undemanding P/E of 4x FY09E and 5x FY10E. Our DCF valuation suggests a target price of Rs660, 173.5% upside from current levels. We maintain Buy.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS  IN; Mkt Cap USD9.8b, CMP Rs491, Buy);
We met TCS’ CEO and MD, Mr Ramadorai, and COO and ED, Mr Chandrasekharan. We present our key takeaways:

 

n    ‘Deal qualification’ assuming greater importance; higher focus on DSOs: In the aftermath of the credit crisis, TCS is focusing on risk mitigation strategies like additional due diligence on deal profitability. According to the management, ‘deal qualification’ is assuming greater importance given concerns on margin management. TCS is evaluating deals (specifically those with outcome focus) with caution, given the possibility of delays and cost overruns.

 

n    Pricing concerns to dominate in the near term; predatory pricing to aggravate further: Pricing concerns are beginning to dominate and the situation could worsen, going forward. The market is seeing predatory pricing in a bid to garner larger volume share. However, price cuts might not be as steep as in the aftermath of the dot com bust.
n    Decline in pricing to be countered by margin levers: The management mentioned that margin pressures would be countered through the following margin levers:  (1) lower SGA expenditure, (2) increased offshoring, (3) larger contribution from fixed price projects, and (4) better utilization.
n    Deal pipeline healthy though uncertainty on ramp-ups continues; budgets could lose relevance: TCS would continue to have a healthy deal pipeline, as seen in increased RFIs and RFPs furnished by the clients. However, the question mark on timely project ramp-ups continues. Visibility is clouded owing to the lack of clarity on project execution. CY09 budgets might not be sacrosanct amidst ongoing uncertainty and budgets could be revisited if the macro environment deteriorates.
n    Valuation and view: Our interaction confirms our belief that accommodative billing rates are a fast-approaching reality and pricing would be the key topic of client discussion, going forward. Our estimates factor in declining realizations for all the companies under our coverage in FY10. We value TCS at 10.4x FY10E EPS (20% discount to the target P/E multiple of Infosys v/s 27% discount now). Maintain Buy with a target price of Rs584, an 19% upside.

ICICI Bank Ltd Performance Review for Quarter ended December 31,

January 24th, 2009 by | No Comments | Filed in Results

• Profit after tax of Rs. 1,272 crore; 25% increase over second
quarter
• 23% year-on-year increase in operating profit for the quarter
ended December 31, 2008
• Strong capital adequacy ratio of 15.6%; highest among large
Indian banks
• 19% year-on-year reduction in costs due to cost
rationalization measures
• Branch network increased to 1,416 branches
The Board of Directors of ICICI Bank Limited (NYSE: IBN) at its meeting
held at Mumbai today, approved the audited accounts of the Bank for the
quarter ended December 31, 2008 (Q3-2009).
Highlights
• The profit after tax for Q3-2009 was Rs. 1,272 crore (US$ 261 million)
which represents an increase of 25% over the profit after tax of Rs.
1,014 crore (US$ 208 million) in the quarter ended September 30,
2008 (Q2-2009). Profit after tax for the quarter ended December 31,
2007 (Q3-2008) was Rs. 1,230 crore (US$ 253 million).
• Operating profit for Q3-2009 was Rs. 2,771 crore (US$ 569 million)
which represents an increase of 23% over operating profit of Rs.
2,259 crore (US$ 464 million) for Q3-2008.
• Net interest income for Q3-2009 was Rs. 1,990 crore (US$ 409
million) compared to the net interest income of Rs. 1,960 crore (US$
402 million) for Q3-2008.
• The Bank earned treasury income of Rs. 976 crore (US$ 200 million)
in Q3-2009, primarily by positioning its treasury strategy to benefit
from the decline in yields on government bonds.
• Operating expenses decreased 19% to Rs. 1,680 crore (US$ 345
million) in Q3-2009 from Rs. 2,080 crore (US$ 427 million) for Q3-
2008. The cost/average asset ratio for Q3-2009 was 1.8% compared
to 2.2% for Q3-2008.
2
ICICI Bank Limited
ICICI Bank Towers
Bandra Kurla Complex
Mumbai 400 051
Operating review
During the current year, the Bank has pursued a strategy of lightening the
balance sheet and prioritizing capital conservation, liquidity management
and risk containment given the challenging economic environment. The
Bank has also placed strong emphasis on efficiency improvement and
cost rationalization. During Q3-2009, the Bank continued with this
strategy, while also taking advantage of market opportunities to increase
its treasury income. In line with the above strategy, the loan book of the
Bank stood at Rs. 212,521 crore (US$ 43.6 billion) at December 31, 2008.
Current and savings account (CASA) deposits constituted 27.4% of total
deposits at December 31, 2008 compared to 27.2% at December 31,
2007.
Branch network
The Bank continues to expand its branch network to enhance its deposit
franchise and create an integrated distribution network for both asset and
liability products. The branch network of the Bank has increased from 755
branches at March 31, 2007 to 1,416 branches at January 23, 2009. The
Bank has also received Reserve Bank of India’s approval to set up 580
branches which would expand the branch network to about 2,000
branches, giving the Bank a wide distribution reach in the country.
Capital adequacy
The Bank’s capital adequacy at December 31, 2008 as per Reserve Bank
of India’s revised guidelines on Basel II norms was 15.6% and Tier-1
capital adequacy was 12.1%, well above RBI’s requirement of total capital
adequacy of 9.0% and Tier-1 capital adequacy of 6.0%.
Asset quality
At December 31, 2008, the Bank’s net non-performing asset ratio was
1.95% on an unconsolidated basis. The consolidated net non-performing
advances ratio was about 1.73%.
Performance highlights of banking subsidiaries
ICICI Bank Canada saw an increase of about CAD 550 million in retail term
deposits during Q3-2009. ICICI Bank Canada’s customer base increased
from about 270,000 at September 30, 2008 to over 291,000 customers at
December 31, 2008. ICICI Bank Canada had liquidity of about CAD 1.1
billion at December 31, 2008. ICICI Bank Canada’s profit after tax for 9M-
2009 was CAD 32.9 million. ICICI Bank Canada’s capital adequacy ratio
was 16.1% at December 31, 2008.
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ICICI Bank Limited
ICICI Bank Towers
Bandra Kurla Complex
Mumbai 400 051
ICICI Bank UK saw an increase of about USD 530 million in retail term
deposits during Q3-2009. ICICI Bank UK’s customer base increased from
about 258,000 at September 30, 2008 to over 281,000 customers at
December 31, 2008. ICICI Bank UK had liquidity of about USD 1.0 billion at
December 31, 2008. After accounting for the gains on buyback of bonds
and mark-to-market provisions on the investment portfolio, ICICI Bank
UK’s profit after tax for 9M-2009 was USD 1.4 million. ICICI Bank UK’s
capital position continued to be strong with a capital adequacy ratio of
18.6% at December 31, 2008.
Performance highlights of insurance subsidiaries
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company (ICICI Life) maintained its market
leadership in the private sector with an overall market share of 12.0% in
retail new business weighted received premium during the nine month
period ended December 31, 2008 (9M-2009). ICICI Life’s total premium
increased by 28% to Rs 9,918 crore (US$ 2.0 billion) in 9M-2009. ICICI
Life’s renewal premium increased by 75%, reflecting the long term
sustainability of the business. ICICI Life’s unaudited New Business Profit
(NBP) in 9M-2009 was Rs. 712 crore (US$ 146 million). Due to the
business set-up and customer acquisition costs, which are not amortised,
and reserving for actuarial liability, ICICI Life’s statutory accounting results
reduced the consolidated profit after tax of ICICI Bank by Rs. 565 crore
(US$ 116 million) in 9M-20091. Assets held increased to Rs. 28,445 crore
(US$ 5.8 billion) at December 31, 2008.
ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company (ICICI General) maintained its
leadership in the private sector with an overall market share of 12.2%
during April-November 2008. ICICI General’s premiums increased 4.1%
on a year-on-year basis to Rs. 2,722 crore (US$ 559 million) in 9M-2009.

Indiabulls Securities to Consider Buy Back

January 24th, 2009 by | No Comments | Filed in Updates

Indiabulls Securities Ltd has declared its unaudited results for the quarter ended 31st December 2008. Also the board announced that they will meet on February 2, 2009 to consider inter alia proposal for Buy Back of equity share of the company.

Indiabulls Securities Ltd recorded revenues of Rs 86.72 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2008. Net profit for the quarter was at Rs 20.77 crore. During the quarter, CRISIL assigned its highest rating of “P1+” (pronounced ‘P one plus’) to the Rs.10 Billion short term debt programme and to the Rs.5.85 Billion short term bank facility of the Company. Indiabulls Securities is the first and only brokerage house in India to be assigned the highest rating BQ – 1 by CRISIL.