Thus far in calendar year 2023, ITC surpassed Infosys, HDFC, SBI, Bharti Airtel, Adani Enterprises and Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) in market-cap ranking.
According to brokerages, a sequential expansion in Ebitda margins is expected, amid tapering commodity cost inflation
ITC share: The stock has firmly outperformed the benchmark returns by rallying 56 per cent over the last year versus a 3% and 23.5% gain in the Nifty50 and Nifty FMCG indices during this time
Nestle India Q1CY23 preview: While Indian business is likely to report double-digit revenue growth on a YoY basis, the international business is estimated to grow in mid-single digits, said analysts
Thus far in calendar year 2023 (CY23), ITC has surged 22%, as compared to 3% decline in the S&P BSE Sensex, and 2.4% rise in HDFC Ltd
ITC is expected to maintain its volume growth momentum in the cigarette business, given no price hikes in the near term and government curbing illicit cigarette sales
The consistent good growth in the cigarette business, strong tailwinds in the hotel business and scale-up in non-cigarette FMCG business makes its earning visibility better compared with peers.
Meanwhile, in the past three months, the stock has shed 16 per cent, as against 4 per cent decline in the S&P BSE Sensex.
The company said no definitive agreement or binding commitment has been signed on this matter.
Selective FMCG stocks may rise up to 11 per cent, even if broader market loses more ground
The FMCG index too was seen outperforming the BSE benchmark in Thursday trade with a gain of nearly 1 per cent.
Nestle India Q4 preview: In the October-December quarter, shares of Nestle rose 2.4 per cent, while peers like Hindustan Unilever dropped 5 per cent, and Britannia gained 12 per cent
With a modest 1 per cent increase in duty on cigarettes and improving outlook for FMCG and Hotels, brokerages think ITC is well positioned for a strong FY24.
In past one month, the stock was down 20 per cent after the government decided to discontinue import of crude soybean oil under tariff rate quota (TRQ).
Given tax increase in the Budget 2023 is insignificant, ITC would continue to witness strong volume growth in cigarette business in future, said analysts
The management said that the go-to-market strategy and investments in brands & innovation helped the company register a robust topline growth of 16 per cent YoY
Brokerages believe that the proposed tax hike on cigarette in the Union Budget 2023 is not very high and would be easily passed on through small price increases
Britannia outperformed peers as shares surged 12 per cent in Q3FY23, whereas peers like Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Dabur India, ITC, and Tata Consumer declined up to 5 per cent, during the same period
Brokerages expect strong growth for ITC's FMCG business led by price hikes, strong traction in discretionary categories (due to high mobility) & strong growth in education & stationary business.
In their quarterly update, Godrej Consumer Products, Dabur, and Marico witnessed sluggish growth in the December quarter (Q3) driven by poor rural consumption and a slowdown after the festival season