XL Telecom, Castrol, Bata & Nestle India Q4 results

CORPORATE SCORECARD

Hyderabad-based solar panel and solar cell maker, XL Telecom and Energy witnessed a 144 per cent growth in net profit at Rs 14.13 crore for the third quarter ended March 2008, compared with Rs 5.79 crore in the corresponding quarter a year ago, primarily on account of higher margins in its energy business. Overall revenues moved up at Rs 172.29 crore during the period (Rs 135.22 crore), an increase of 27.42 per cent.

 

For the nine-month period, net profit grew 85.69 per cent to Rs 28.82 crore (Rs 15.52 crore), while overall revenues stood at Rs 473.3 crore (Rs 385.9 crore), registering a growth of 22.64 per cent.

"The energy segment contributed significantly at Rs 237.4 crore, a growth of 236 per cent over the previous year's Rs 70.6 crore," Dinesh Kumar, managing director of XL Telecom, said.

Castrol Q1 net jumps 75%

Automotive lubricant maker Castrol India's net profit rose 75 per cent at Rs 72.8 crore in the first quarter ended March 2008. During the same period, it reported net sales of Rs 492.9 crore, up 11 per cent, as against Rs 442.1 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

Bata Q4 profit jumps 139%

Footwear major Bata India has recorded a turnover of Rs 225.1 crore for the quarter ended March 2008, up from Rs 187.8 crore in the previous comparable quarter.

Profit before tax (PBT) for the quarter stood at Rs 12.77 crore, an increase of 139 per cent, over the corresponding period in 2007.

The company opened 19 new stores and renovated nine existing stores in the period and focussed on improving shoe design, particularly for women and youth.

This, together with stricter cost control, improved product mix, consolidation of manufacturing activities and transformation of the wholesale business resulted in improved profitability, the company said in a release.

Nestle India Q1 net jumps 48%

FMCG company Nestle India posted a net profit of Rs 160.1 crore for the first quarter ended March 2008, a 47.7 per cent increase, compared with Rs 108.4 crore for the comparable previous quarter. Net sales rose to Rs 1,090 crore, a 26.4 per cent increase from Rs 863 crore in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.

The company said that the increase in net profit was influenced by a lower income tax provision due to the accrual of tax holiday claim arising out of Pantnagar factory operations.

While net domestic sales went up by 29.2 per cent to Rs 1,003.9 crore, exports were hit due to lower exports of beverages and appreciation of the rupee.

Martial Rolland, chairman and managing director, Nestl