NTPC posts near 5 percent fall in Q4 net profit

State-run power generator NTPC on Friday posted a fourth quarter 2015 fall in net profit by 4.8 percent year-on-year at Rs.2,944 crore caused by lower revenues and other income, as well as by higher finance costs.

India's largest power utility had recorded a net profit of Rs.3,093.54 crore in the same quarter of 2013-14.

Total income from operations during the quarter fell 8.2 percent at Rs.19,315 crore, compared to Rs.21,039 crore in the same quarter last year due to lower generation, the National Thermal Power Corp said in a stock exchange filing.

Gross generation during the quarter fell by 2.1 percent to 61.31 billion units compared to 62.62 billion units generated in the corresponding quarter of last fiscal, NTPC said.

The plant load factor was 82.68 percent in Q4 against 88.7 percent in the year-ago period, it added.

Other income for the quarter was Rs.571.8 crore, down 2.4 percent compared to the Rs.586 crore in the same quarter last year.

Finance costs jumped 24.6 percent year-on-year to Rs.707.5 crore and depreciation costs increased 15.2 percent to Rs.1,391.2 crore, while tax expenses declined 34.65 percent to Rs.178.2 crore during the same period.

Net profit for the full fiscal fell 6.3 percent to Rs.10,290.86 crore.

NTPC stock closed higher on Friday at Rs.63.40 a share, up 1.15 points, or 1.85 percent over its previous close on the Bombay Stock Exhange.