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Adani Ports to Develop West Container Terminal at Colombo Port – Top Indian Market News

Adani Ports to develop West Container Terminal at Colombo Port

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) will develop the West Container Terminal (WCT) at Colombo Port. The Sri Lankan cabinet, on Tuesday, approved the plan through a tripartite understanding with India and Japan. WCT will have a 1,400-metre quay wall, terminal area of about 64 hectares, and an annual capacity of 2.6 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit).

In other news, APSEZ announced that it had handled cargo volume of 21.12 million metric tonnes (MMT) in February 2021, which is an 8% year-on-year (YoY) growth.

Read more here.

Bharti Airtel acquires spectrum worth Rs 18,699 crore in auction

Bharti Airtel has acquired 355.45 megahertz (MHz) spectrum across sub gigahertz (GHz), mid-band, and 2,300 MHz bands for Rs 18,699 crores in the latest spectrum auction. This will help improve the company’s deep indoor and in-building coverage in every urban town. The spectrum will also help improve its coverage in villages. Bharti Airtel said the acquired spectrum would help them provide services to an additional 9 crore customers in India.

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Prestige Estates signs agreement with Blackstone to sell 12 assets in Phase-1 of Rs 9,160 crore deal

Prestige Estate Projects has signed definitive agreements with global investment firm Blackstone to sell 12 completed assets in the first phase of a Rs 9,160-crore deal. In November 2020, Prestige Estates had signed a term sheet to sell a large portfolio of completed and under-construction properties to Blackstone for an enterprise value of Rs 9,160 crore. This includes completed offices, retail properties, and hotel properties. The company will use the funds for future expansion activities and repayment of debt. 

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Vodafone Idea buys spectrum in 5 telecom circles

Vodafone Idea Ltd (Vi) has acquired spectrum in India’s five telecom circles in the latest auction for 4G wireless services. However, the company did not disclose the quantity of spectrum bought or the financial details of the transaction. Vi said it expects that a large quantum of spectrum will be made available for 5G services at fair prices to enable operators to roll out the technology rapidly.

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Jindal Steel to acquire bankrupt Reliance Naval & Engineering: Report

As per a report from BloombergQuint, Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) and two other groups were the latest to express interest in bidding for Reliance Naval & Engineering Ltd. “For Jindal Steel, Reliance Naval can be a captive client for the company’s shipbuilding plates”, said JSPL managing director Vidya Rattan Sharma. The reports further state that Dubai-based shipping firm GMS and Kotak Special Situations Fund were among the others that registered to bid for Reliance Naval.

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Engineers India secures consultancy project worth Rs 600 crore

Engineers India Limited (EIL) has received a consultancy project from Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL). EIL has been awarded the project for execution of ‘Consultancy for Overall Project Management’ and EPCM (Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Management) services for capacity expansion of IOCL’s Panipat Refinery from 15 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) to 25 MMTPA. The total order value is around Rs 600 crore.

Cipla receives USFDA approval for Sumatriptan Nasal Spray

Cipla Limited has received final approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for Sumatriptan Nasal Spray. The drug is indicated for the treatment of migraine attacks. According to IQVIA (IMS Health) data, the generic version of Sumatriptan Nasal Spray had US sales of approximately $53.3 million (~Rs 390 crore) for the 12-months ending December 2020. 

In other news, Cipla said its Gulf subsidiary has expanded its partnership with Alvotech for the marketing and distribution of four biosimilar medicines in Australia and New Zealand.  

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Govt to divest 10% stake in Ircon International

The Government of India announced that it will sell up to 4.70 crore equity shares of public sector construction firm Ircon International. This represents 10% of the issued and paid-up share capital of the company. The floor price for the offer for sale (OFS) has been fixed at Rs 88 per share. The OFS will open tomorrow (March 3, 2021) for retail investors.

Read more here.

Bajaj Healthcare gets approval from Maharastra PCB to restart Tarapur unit

Bajaj Healthcare Ltd has received approval from Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to resume operations at its Tarapur unit in Maharashtra. The MPCB had issued a notice to the company in January 2021, directing the closure of operations at the Tarapur unit for alleged violation of the provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974 and Air (Prevention and Control Pollution) Act 1981.

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Subex joins O-RAN Alliance for open radio access networks

Subex Limited announced that it has become a member of the O-RAN Alliance to support the development and standardisation of Open Radio Access Networks (RAN). [RAN is the part of a telecommunications system that connects individual devices to other parts of a network through radio connections] With its expertise in advanced network analytics based on machine learning, Subex would help drive innovation in the RAN domain. 

Read more here.

Gayatri Highways acquires 51% stake in Balaji Highways Holding

Gayatri Highways Limited, on Tuesday, said it has successfully completed the acquisition of 51% equity share capital of Balaji Highways Holding Private Limited. Hyderabad-based Balaji Highways is engaged in the business of undertaking infrastructure projects such as the construction of state and national highways.

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Editorial

Can the Rally Continue in Adani Ports?

Adani Group is one of the biggest corporate groups in India. If you are an active trader or an investor in the market, you would have thought about investing in at least one of Adani’s companies. And why not? The rise of Adani Group over the years is historic and a revolutionary story itself. We are well aware of Reliance and Tata companies, now it’s time to respect the beloved Adani Group and learn what it’s one of the biggest has to offer. Today, we dig deeper into Gautam Adani’s crown jewel company, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited.

About APSEZ

This entity was established on 26 May 1998. In the last 22 years, it has shown exceptional growth to become India’s largest private port and Special Economic Zone operator. The company has been listed on NSE and BSE since 27th November 2007. APSEZ is responsible for almost 25% of the total cargo movement in the country. 

They provide services across three verticals, i.e. Ports, Logistics and Special Economic Zones (SEZs). You would wonder how they cater the logistics? This happens with the aid of its subsidiary Adani Logistics Limited. This is the benefit of having several companies under one umbrella.

APSEZ currently operates at 11 domestic ports. From the Bay of Bengal to the Arabian Sea, Adani Ports are spread everywhere. The highest number of ports (4) are present in Gujarat. Other ports are present in states like Tamil Nadu (2), Goa, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. In totality, Adani Ports & SEZ offers over 400 MMTPA (Million Metric Tonne Per Annum) capacity. It is paired with over 4 Lakh square feet of warehousing.

Out of the 11 ports, Mundra Port which is in Gujarat is India’s largest commercial port. Here the company offers you Bulk & Break Bulk, Liquid Cargo, Container Cargo, LPG/LNG Cargo and Crude – Single Point Mooring. This Mundra Economic Hub is the largest multi-product SEZ, Free Trade and Warehousing Zone (FTWZ) and Domestic Industrial Zone which spreads over 8,000 hectares. 

Remarkable Recovery in the Market

Weekly Chart of Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone
  • Due to Covid-19 pandemic, the share price of APSEZ fell to the 52-week low of Rs 203 on 23rd March 2020.
  • In less than 11 months, the stock has attained its all-time high of Rs 594.
  • The image below shows the weekly chart of Adani Ports. Since the last many weeks, the stock is making a new all-time high.
  • The curved yellow line shows the journey of the stock over the last 11 months.
  • The promoters of Adani Ports hold more than 60% of the total stake in the company. But, most of the shares of the promoters’ are pledged shares. Pledging of shares means that the investors have taken a loan by submitting shares. Generally, this is considered as a negative signal for retail shareholders like you and me. 
  • A few weeks back, the management of the company stated that soon they will be paying their debt and freeing up almost all of their shares. Investors did not have many red flags before investing in Adani Ports. And, this commentary further increased the positive sentiments within the investors.
  • Adani Ports have expanded their business even during the pandemic. They have added five new container services; two at Mundra, two services at Hazira, and one at Kattupalli.

Positive Results Keep Flowing In

Consolidated net profit rose by 16% at Rs 1,577 crore on YoY (Year-on-Year) basis for the December quarter. The net profits by the end of the last quarter were Rs 1393 crore. Total revenue increased by over 10% YoY and by 25% when compared to the previous quarter. Revenue and profits for nine-month ending FY21 are more than what was recorded till December 2019. Thus, telling that even after Covid-19 lockdown, the company has performed exceptionally well to beat its previous years’ performance.

This success is based on many key pointers. One of those is a 37% rise in cargo volume as compared to the same quarter last year. This has helped the company to increase its market share from 25% to 28%. All India Cargo volume grew by only 5% from Q3FY20 to Q3FY21. But APSEZ’s cargo volume increased by a stunning 37% during the same period. The port of Mundra has alone recorded a growth of 25% during the third quarter. This shows how dominating performance the company has been able to put in.

(Source:Company Website)

“The strong and lasting recovery at APSEZ has been the cornerstone of our journey in the recent past. It’s a proven certitude that our business now operates closer to a pure-play utility. Our portfolio of assets, increasing market share in India, and pre-eminence of our network with leadership positions have an unparalleled value proposition.” – Karan Adani, Chief Executive Officer and Whole Time Director of APSEZ.

APSEZ ranked 14th globally out of 102 companies in the transportation and transportation infrastructure sector by Dow Jones Sustainability Emerging Markets Index. In fact, they have the highest EBITDA margin (70%) globally. 

Conclusion

The success of APSEZ tells us about their journey from a single port single commodity to an integrated logistics platform. The company aims to keep its EBITDA margin from ports above 71%. The Indian government also has the vision to manufacture and produce more in the coming years. They not only aim to be self-reliant but also become a net exporter. All of these things have benefitted Adani Ports and will keep on doing so in the future.

(Source)

Their revenue has grown at a yearly rate of 15% in the last five years. This is more than 13.5% which is the industry average. Its median sales growth is 27.38% of the last 10 years. A company which is outperforming its own industry shows the positive work put in by them. APSEZ looks like an interesting bet for sure. The way they conduct their business and the opportunities in the future both tells that Adani Ports might have a long way to go. With all the interesting upcoming projects, strong revenue growth, high margins for profits and government support, Adani Ports will surely reach greater highs.

You can find the company’s third-quarter results here. What are your opinions on Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited? Let us know in the comments section!