JSPL Q4 net up 16% to Rs 1,167 cr

Net sales of the company jump 42% to Rs 5,465 cr

Jindal Steel and Power (JSPL) today reported a 16.50% growth in its consolidated net profit to Rs 1,167 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2012, on increased steel and power sales.

The company had reported a net profit of Rs 1,001.70 crore during the same quarter in FY11.

Net sales of the company went up by 42% in the last quarter to Rs 5,465.26 crore vis-a-vis Rs 3,848.12 crore of the Q4 of FY11.

"This was the highest ever profit for the whole JSPL group in a particular quarter as there was an all round rise in [iron ore] pellet, steel products and power, both for sales and production," JSPL Chief Financial Officer Sushil Maroo told reporters in a conference call.

During the quarter, company's steel production went up by 23%, while pellet production increased 24% and power production was up 42%, he said.

Moreover, all the three products also reported significant increase in sales, with pellet sales registering over 200% growth.

However, JSPL's raw material cost during January-March period increased by about 79% to Rs 1,888.13 crore.

For the full year 2011-12, the company clocked a meagre growth of 5% in its consolidated net profit to Rs 4,002.26 crore vis-a-vis Rs 3,804.01 crore of FY11. During the year, the net sales of the company was up 38.87% to Rs 18,151.41 crore.

According to the JSPL CFO, the Naveen Jindal-led company is planning to commission a plate mill of 2.5 million tonne in Odisha during the ongoing quarter. Besides, it will also be commissioning a DRI (direct reduced iron) plant and 540 MW power generation capacity later this year.

The company has kept a capex of about Rs 10,000 crore for the ongoing fiscal, Maroo said.

He added that JSPL has secured finances for most of its projects and this year's borrowings will not be "much".

Talking about a recent order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that has cancelled environment clearance to a coal mining project of the company in Chhattisgarh, Maroo said that it will not impact the company in immediate future as the coal block was to be used after two-three years for its expansion activities in the state.

As on March 31, 2012, the company has a cash reserves of Rs 4,500 crore and debt of Rs 15,700 crore, the JSPL CFO said.

Jindal Power, the unlisted subsidiary of the company, recorded a profit after tax of Rs 1,764.99 crore and turnover of Rs 2,979.67 crore during the last fiscal.

Shares of the company closed today at Rs 481.65 apiece on the BSE, down 1.41% from the previous close.