In the latest quarterly report, Asian Paints (NS:), one of India’s leading paint companies, faced a notable setback in its standalone revenue, which dropped by 1.9% compared to the same period last year. This decline represents a significant departure from its usual growth trajectory. While the volume of decorative paints saw a promising 10% year-on-year growth, the overall revenue was dragged down by a double-digit decrease in realization. The company attributed this sharp decline in realization to two main factors: a sluggish demand environment prompting consumers to opt for lower-priced options, and previously implemented price cuts.
Looking ahead, Asian Paints anticipates these challenges persisting into the first half of the fiscal year 2025. On the consolidated front, the picture isn’t much brighter, with revenue slipping by 0.6% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024. Additionally, the company’s earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) took an 11% hit compared to the previous year as margins began to moderate. Consolidated EBITDA also saw a decline of 9% year-on-year, with EBITDA margins shrinking by 180 basis points due to rises in staff and other expenses.
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In terms of future outlook, Goldman Sachs (NYSE:) has set a price target of INR 2,825 for Asian Paints over the next twelve months. This valuation is based on a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 58x for the company’s earnings per share (EPS) from the fifth to the eighth quarters, aligning with its historical five-year average one-year forward P/E.
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On the valuation front, there is a lot of information being given by PorTips that investors must not ignore such as – High EBITDA, revenue, earnings and P/B multiples. In fact, the fair value of the stock is INR 2,572 per share, depicting a 6.1% overvaluation at the current rate. This fair value has been calculated after considering 14 different financial models, making it more accurate than any one biased model.
Goldman Sachs also highlights several key risks that investors should be mindful of. These include the potential for heightened competition from Grasim (NS:)’s paint business, which could lead to a loss of market share and margin pressures if a price war ensues. On the flip side, there’s the possibility of a quicker-than-expected rebound in gross margins driven by a swift correction in commodity prices.
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