Despite a 7% fall in demand for soda ash, Tata Chemicals rode high on the back of very good demand from Latin America and Europe. On a consolidated basis, the company was able to post a phenomenal 167% (YoY) rise in topline at Rs.4706 crore for the second quarter ended 30th September 2008. Of the total revenue, inorganic chemicals clocked about Rs.2,730 crore and fertilizers at Rs.4,152 crore
Then the company incurred a MTM forex loss of Rs.167 crore on an external commercial borrowing of $475 million raised to finance the acquisition of General Chemicals Industrial Product Inc (GCIP) in March 2008. This dented the bottomlines and its PAT rose 34% at Rs.278 crore. Of this, GCIP contributed Rs.44 crore. But for the forex loss, like in Q1FY09, the company in Q2 would have also posted a phenomenal PAT.
Due to the overall softening of prices across the board, fall in demand from USA and threat from China, price of soda ash is expected to remain at more or less the same levels in Q3. In the coming quarters, business from US is expected to remain low but it plans to continue its focus on Latin America and Europe. There is also a threat coming in from China, which is hiking its capacities in soda ash though that is not expected in current fiscal.
The company is expected to put on hold some projects that take longer gestation and also the previously contemplated de-bottlenecking plans are to be postponed to next fiscal. . GCIP is expected to repay $350 million bridge loan in the current month.
Currently quoted at Rs.163 levels, Tata Chemicals remains a fundamentally strong stock.
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