Sadbhav Engineering soared 6% to Rs 230 apiece after the company in its press release said it had received road contract worth Rs 1,620 crore of Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg. The stock was trading at its highest level since October 22, 2018 on the BSE.
The contract is for construction of access controlled Nagpur Mumbai Super Communication Expressway (Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg) in the state of Maharashtra on EPC Mode for Package 5, From Km. 217.023 to Km. 259.900 (Section -Village Kinhiraja to Village Kenwad) in District Washim, Sadbhav Engineering said in a statement.
The construction period of the project is 30 months with defect liability period of 48 months and the contract value of the project as per contract agreement is Rs 1,620 crore, it added.
Ashoka Buildcon was trading 4% higher at Rs 132 on back of a two-fold jump in trading volumes. A combined 236,260 equity shares changed hands on the counter on the BSE and NSE till 12:51 pm. In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex was up marginally by 0.08% at 35,879 points.
Motilal Oswal Securities expects awarding activity in infrastructure space to pick up in 4QFY19, similar to awarding activity in FY18.
FY19 saw a slow start in awarding of fresh projects, given changes in the top management of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), delay in financial closure of the existing projects and land acquisition issues faced by NHAI in new projects to be awarded.
In 3QFY19, ordering activity in the road sector was driven by states, while NHAI ordering remained muted. Marquee projects like Mumbai Nagpur Expressway/Purvanchal Expressway and the Coastal road project have been ordered out by the state governments on an EPC basis with execution expected to begin soon. All projects put together provide an EPC opportunity of Rs 47,000 crore, the brokerage firm said in Q3FY19 results preview.
With financial closure becoming stringent and banks being selective in extending credit to companies, we believe that the sector will see consolidation. Companies with a healthy balance sheet would benefit the most. Stringent financial closure would also lead to moderation in competition (witnessed in recently invited tenders), and thus, improvement in pricing and margins of the financially strong players, it added.
One subscription. Two world-class reads.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
)