Finolex Cables Q2 Profit Soars 28%! Analyst Firm Issues Strong BUY Recommendation with Rs 990 Target!

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AuthorAditi Singh|Published at:
Finolex Cables Q2 Profit Soars 28%! Analyst Firm Issues Strong BUY Recommendation with Rs 990 Target!
Overview

Finolex Cables reported a 5% year-on-year revenue growth for Q2 FY26, reaching Rs 13.75 billion. The company saw strong 40% growth in industrial and solar cables, alongside an 8.4% rise in FMEG revenue. Profit After Tax (PAT) surged 28% year-on-year to Rs 1.86 billion, boosted by a 265 basis point expansion in gross margins and a 45.3% rise in EBITDA. Analysts maintain a 'BUY' rating with a price target of Rs 990, expecting 9-14% CAGR over FY25-28.

Finolex Cables has announced its Q2 FY26 financial results, showcasing robust profit growth and margin expansion. The company's performance has prompted a leading analyst firm to reiterate its 'BUY' recommendation with an increased price target.

Q2 Financial Highlights

  • Finolex Cables reported a moderate year-on-year (YoY) topline growth of approximately 5% in the second quarter of fiscal year 2026 (Q2 FY26), with revenue standing at Rs 13.75 billion. This represented a slight decrease of 1.4% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ).
  • Profit After Tax (PAT) saw a significant YoY increase of about 28%, reaching Rs 1.86 billion.
  • The Profit After Tax Margin (PATM) improved to 13.6% compared to 11.1% in the same period last year.

Segment Performance Analysis

  • Electrical Cables: Revenue from electrical cables reached Rs 11.87 billion, marking a 7.6% YoY increase and a 1.5% QoQ decrease.
  • Building Wire & Agriwire: Volumes for building wires remained flat due to muted real estate activity and fewer product launches. Extended monsoons impacted agriwire demand, which contributes 10-12% to the segment and typically commands better margins.
  • Industrial and Solar Cables: This category delivered strong performance with a 40% growth.
  • Communication Cables: The communication cables segment experienced muted volumes across product lines, resulting in a 21.4% YoY decline to Rs 1.06 billion.
  • Other Segment (FMEG): The Fast Moving Electrical Goods (FMEG) segment recorded an 8.4% YoY revenue growth to Rs 0.65 billion, although fan sales remained subdued.

Profitability Drivers

  • Gross margins expanded significantly by 265 basis points, primarily attributed to upward price revisions of 3-3.5% undertaken during Q2.
  • EBITDA grew substantially by 45.3% YoY to Rs 1.43 billion.
  • The EBITDA Margin (EBITDAM) ballooned by 290 basis points to 10.4% from 7.5% in the previous year.
  • Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT) for the electrical segment alone came in at Rs 1.29 billion, up 41.6% YoY.

Future Outlook and Recommendation

  • The company's long-term fundamentals are considered strong by analysts.
  • Projections for fiscal year 2028 (FY28) include a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9% for revenue, 14% for EBITDA, and 8% for PAT over the FY25-28 period.
  • Return on Equity (RoE) and Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) are expected to reach approximately 11.5% and 15.3%, respectively, by FY28E.
  • Using a Sum of the Parts (SOTP) based methodology, analysts have arrived at a price target of Rs 990 per share.
  • Given a potential upside of 26%, the 'BUY' stance on Finolex Cables stock has been continued.

Impact

  • The strong quarterly performance and positive analyst outlook are likely to boost investor confidence in Finolex Cables.
  • This news could positively influence the stock price of Finolex Cables, potentially driving it towards the target price.
  • It may also create positive sentiment for other companies within the electrical cable manufacturing and FMEG sectors in India.
  • The projected growth in industrial and solar cables highlights potential tailwinds for renewable energy and manufacturing sectors.
  • Impact Rating: 7/10

Difficult Terms Explained

  • YoY (Year-over-Year): A comparison of financial results from a specific period with the same period in the previous year.
  • QoQ (Quarter-over-Quarter): A comparison of financial results from a specific quarter with the immediately preceding quarter.
  • bn (Billion): A number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000).
  • bps (Basis Points): A unit of measure used in finance equal to one-hundredth of a percentage point (0.01%). For example, 265 bps is equal to 2.65%.
  • EBITDA: Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization. It is a measure of a company's operating performance before accounting for non-operating expenses and accounting adjustments.
  • EBITDAM (EBITDA Margin): Calculated as EBITDA divided by total revenue, expressed as a percentage. It shows how efficiently a company is generating profit from its core operations.
  • EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Taxes): A measure of a company's operating profit, excluding interest and tax expenses.
  • PAT (Profit After Tax): The net profit remaining for a company after all expenses, including taxes, have been deducted.
  • PATM (Profit After Tax Margin): Calculated as PAT divided by total revenue, expressed as a percentage. It represents the percentage of revenue that remains as net profit.
  • CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate): The average annual growth rate of an investment over a specified period of time longer than one year.
  • RoE (Return on Equity): A profitability ratio that measures how effectively a company uses its shareholders' equity to generate profits. Calculated as Net Income / Shareholder's Equity.
  • ROCE (Return on Capital Employed): A profitability ratio that measures how efficiently a company is using its capital (debt and equity) to generate profits. Calculated as EBIT / Capital Employed.
  • SOTP (Sum of the Parts): A valuation method where the total value of a company is determined by adding up the values of its individual business segments or assets.
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