Blue Dart hits new high; rallies 14% in a week on 10% price hike decision

Blue Dart said high inflation, rising interest rate, and high input costs have all taken a toll on the margins of the business

Shares of Blue Dart Express hit a new high of Rs 9,639.45 as they rallied 7 per cent on the BSE in Tuesday's intra-day trade. The stock of the logistic company surged 14 per cent in one week after the company announced a general price increase with effect from January 1, 2023.

It surpassed its previous high of Rs 9,277, touched on September 7, 2022. In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 1 per cent in the past week.

Blue Dart Express, on September 28, had announced that the average shipment price increase will be 9.6 per cent as compared to 2022, depending on the shipping profile. The company said the customers signing up from October 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022 will not be impacted by the price increase.

The company adjusts its prices annually, taking into account inflation, currency dynamics, fuel cost instabilities, growing regulatory costs, and other mandatory costs such as expenses related to compliance for the workforce with enhanced security regulations across all the locations it services.

"High inflation, rising interest rate, and high input costs have all taken a toll on the margins of the business. Modest GDP growth, slow pace of recovery owing to global supply chain bottlenecks, all of which necessitates a marginal price increase," the company said.

Blue Dart is engaged in the business of integrated air, and ground transportation and distribution of time sensitive packages to various destinations, primarily within India.

In the April-June quarter, the company witnessed healthy volume growth, and carried 7.71 crore shipments (versus last year's 5.12 crore shipments), comprising of 278,393 tonnes (last year 184,431 tonnes). The strong volume growth was on the back of superior customer experience led by best in class service quality.

The government's focus on improving infrastructure through PM Gati Shakti- National Master Plan for Multi modal connectivity, dedicated freight corridors, logistics parks, economic zones, dedicated rail corridors, waterways is expected to smoothen movement of goods.

Further, schemes like 'Make in India', 'AatmaNirbhar Bharat', and extension of PLI scheme to various sectors is likely to give boost to economic activities. All these initiatives are expected to boost overall economic scenario in the country and to propel the growth of the logistics sector even further. To encash the growth opportunities and demand for higher capacities, the company has initiated plans to expand its network.

"Meanwhile, changing customer behaviour is another trend noticed during the last two years; this ‘new normal’ of revenge buying, especially on eCommerce platforms, will also continue going forward. The integral role that express logistics plays in bridging the gap between B2B, B2C, C2C and D2C customers, will continue to remain prominent," the company said in its FY22 annual report.