Nifty Realty up 3%; Brigade, Phoenix jump 5%; here are top bets by HDFC Sec

The Nifty Realty index recouped its two-day loss on Thursday led by strong gains in Brigade Enterprises, Phoenix Mills, DLF and Godrej Properties.

The Nifty Realty index zoomed over 3 per cent to a high of 904.50 in Thursday's intra-day trade, reversing its entire two-day fall on the back of strong buying interest in the sector.  Among realty stocks - Brigade Enterprises was the top gainer, up 5 per cent at ₹503. The Phoenix Mills and Aditya Birla Real Estate surged around 4 per cent each. Anant Raj Industries, DLF and Godrej Properties were up around 3 per cent each.  At 2 PM, the Nifty Realty index was the top sectoral gainer, up 2.8 per cent. In comparison, the Nifty rose 0.7 per cent on Thursday.  Nifty Realty, stocks so far in 2026  The Nifty Realty hit a calendar year high at 911.10 on July 7 (Monday). In the process, the index surged nearly 43 per cent from its 2026 low of 638.65 hit in April 2026. At current levels, the index has also turned positive on a year-to-date (YTD) basis, up 3 per cent.  Among stocks, Oberoi Realty and The Phoenix Mills are up 14 per cent and 12 per cent thus far in 2026. Prestige Estates, Lodha Developers and Godrej Properties have also turned positive YTD, up 2-5 per cent now.  ALSO READ | Realty index up 43% from 2026 low, turns positive YTD; what lies ahead?  However, four realty stocks are still trading below December 2025 close. Brigade Enterprises holds a loss of 22 per cent thus far in 2026 followed by Aditya Birla Real Estate (down 16 per cent). DLF and Anant Raj are the remaining two stocks, shows ACE Equity data.  HDFC Securities on Realty Q1 earnings expectations  HDFC Securities in its Q1FY27 earnings preview on the realty sector says that the impact of escalating geopolitical tensions and equity market correction has proven to be shallower than initially anticipated on realty companies across its coverage universe.  "On the commercial side, concerns around AI-led workforce restructuring diluting (Global Capability Centre) GCC and IT office pre-commitments have not materialized in the data so far, with GCC leasing volumes hitting record highs and pan-India vacancy touching a five-year low in the most recent quarter. The same seems to have reflected in residential presales," the brokerage explained.  Against this backdrop, HDFC Securities now expects H1FY27 to see a milder deceleration in sales velocity than earlier feared, with presales moderation (less intense vs. earlier estimate) concentrated in luxury-focused and equity-market-funding-exposed segments in NCR and MMR, while premium housing and Bengaluru-centric demand should prove relatively resilient and, in select pockets, outperform Street expectations.  The brokerage expects the aggregate revenue/EBITDA/PAT for the coverage universe to report YoY growth of 15.5/35.7/14.6 per cent. On the aggregate level, it expects EBITDA margin to expand by 55bps YoY.  Prestige Estates Project, Oberoi Realty, Sobha and Mahindra Lifespaces are the top stock picks by HDFC Securities in the realty space, with anticipated target price at ₹1,775, ₹2,490, ₹1,930 and ₹612, respectively.  Disclaimer: Views and outlook shared on the stock belong to the respective brokerages and are not endorsed by Business Standard. Reader's discretion is advised.