Bajaj Auto Q3 net up 3% at Rs 819 cr

Two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto reported a 3% rise in net profit at Rs 819 crore for the third quarter ended December 2011. It was Rs 795 crore in the same period a year ago.

The total income increased 9% to Rs 5,616 crore as against Rs 5,154 crore in December 2011.

Bajaj, India's second largest motorcycle manufacturer by sales volume, saw its EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) margin - trumpeted as the best in the industry - fall to 20.1% from 21% in the same quarter a year ago, as lucrative export sales slipped 2%.

"In other international markets (excluding Africa), demand remained subdued," Bajaj said in a statement.

In India, where Bajaj sells around 70% of its motorbikes, demand has slumped due to high interest rates and rising ownership costs.

The standalone net sales during the period under review stood at Rs 5,307.20 crore as against Rs 4,839.95 crore in the year-ago period, up 9.65%, the company said in a statement.

Total volume sales stood at 1,127,741 units during the quarter as against 1,075,441 units in the same quarter last fiscal, up 4.86%.

The company's stocks were trading 2% lower at Rs 2,073 apiece on BSE at 13:25 hours.