IKF Technologies--a report

A group of individuals bought a listed company in 2004 and turned it around. The software company they bought, has now expanded into telecom and even into the emerging bio-fuels business.IKF Technologies is today a Rs 180-crore company and growing. In 2004-05, when the company was taken over by Pradeep Dutta and Sunil Kumar Goel, it had a share capital base of Rs 10 crore. Over the last two years, the company has invested in putting together infrastructure and technology, which has paid off. It grew its web development, software and BPO businesses internationally, to Australia and the UK.In 2006, it set up a 31-seat BPO for Tata Teleservices. “The initial couple of years went into restructuring and settling down in the core business,” says Pankaj Garg, director at IKF Technologies, which counts domestic telcos and banks among its clients. Though the promoters realise that they are late entrants in BPO outsourcing, they are looking at new markets.IKF has now set up offices in Germany, Brazil, Dubai and Russia, and is hoping to see growth from these markets over the next two years. The idea of getting into telecom was there since 2006 but “since it was difficult to get a licence at that point in time, it never materialised”, says Garg. But it finally got a Category ‘A’ licence for Internet Service Provider (ISP) by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in January. Since then, it has been busy setting up its network. “We have already spent Rs 4-5 crore, and another Rs 8-9 crore will be spent in the future on developing the network,” informs Garg. As an initial foray in telecom, the company decided to get into VoIP services, a segment, which is not too crowded. That’s how IKF Tel came into being. The company is almost on the verge of launching its VoIP services for the retail market, having already launched the same for enterprise customers.IKF has earmarked $2-3 million for its telecom business, of which, says Garg, $1 million has already been spent over the last one year. IKF expects revenues of Rs 100 crore from its telecom business in the next three years, growing both organically and inorganically. Taking its quest for emerging technologies forward, IKF is into bio-fuels too. “The chairman of the company, Dr RP Singh, who is a former scientist at the Indian Agriculture Research Institute, led us into this field,” says Vishal Rawat, president bio-diesel at IKF Green Fuel. IKF Green Fuel is also planning to get into ethanol, solar and wind energy in the near future. For bio-diesel, though, it has signed an MoU with the government of Madhya Pradesh through which it is seeking 200 hectares of wasteland for jatropha cultivation and will also be setting up an oil extraction plant with an investment of Rs 30 crore.It also engages in contract farming on private wasteland. “We have one refinery already at Udaipur, which can produce 3,000 litres a day but at the moment, it is being used for trial runs. We expect commercial production to start by 2010-11,” says Rawat. Commercial bio-diesel production would need a steady flow of jatropha seeds. To this effect, IKF has 10,000 hectares of jatropha under cultivation, both on leased and owned land. “By 2008-end, we hope to reach the 30,000-40,000 hectares mark,” says Rawat. Meanwhile, research is on for better seeds with agricultural universities and other institutions.The company has been granted permission by the government of India for a GDR issue to raise Rs 500 crore. About Rs 200 crore are already been allocated for IKF Green Fuel, indicating the company’s commitment to the growing sector. It is also exploring JVs in Brazil and South Africa for plantation and extraction there. “We want to be the leader in the bio-fuels market by 2015,” says Rawat.IKF Tech plans to grow jatropha in Africa-------IKF Technologies, the country's first corporate jatropha refiner, has formally approached African Governments — Swaziland, Mozambique and South Africa — for permission to cultivate the plant. Armed with detailed project reports, the company has also applied for an area of 50,000 acres of wasteland in each of these countries for organised jatropha farming. Mr Mukesh Kumar Goel, a director of the company, told Business Line that official responses, however, were awaited. According to the company's estimates, the cost of acquiring the land (total 1.5 lakh acres), nursing the plants till the first fruition after 18 months, and setting up crushing facilities would be Rs 3,000 crore. In a phased manner If permissions were obtained, the purchases or acquisition of land through lease and taking up the plantation projects would be done in a phased manner over a long period of time. IKF has sought to own the land in Africa, and prefers not go in for contract farming, Mr Goel explained.In India, it has opted for the contract-farming model in Rajasthan, where its existing refinery is located, in an area of 5,000 hectares. In Meghalaya, however, IKF cultivates on its own land.Its refinery was commissioned in March this year. Currently, it is procuring jatropha seeds from the open market since it began farming the plants in Meghalaya roughly 12 months ago.Though the first flush of seeds takes 18 months, jatropha harvests are available twice a year in the period after maturing. One hectare can accommodate roughly 2,500 plants.The yield per tree in one harvest, according to thumb rule, is around 3.5 kg and from one kg of seeds, a little over 300 ml of bio-diesel can be had.The company has a one-year renewable technology agreement with Indian Oil Technologies Ltd, a subsidiary of Indian Oil Corporation, for perfecting mixing grade bio-diesel.Refinery in Gujarat :It has proposed to set up another refinery in Gujarat with a capacity of 1 lakh tonnes per annum at a cost of Rs 50 crore.It has also sought permission for contract farming of jatropha in Gujarat and Chhattisgarh.In Rajasthan, it has a refinery running with a capacity to produce 3,000 litres a day.As a Market Analyst, I am strictly recommending this stock.CMP: INR 3. It's future prospect is bright. Stock price will definately touch arround INR 200+ in 2012

IVRCLINFRA a Report

Company Profile:IVRCL operates in infrastructure sectors namely Water & Environment, Transportation, Buildings and Power. It has a large client base, which includes public sector clients (ONGC, BHEL, IOC etc), private sector clients (Birla Institute of technology, Tata projects, Jindal Steel & Power) and Central and State Govt. clients (Airport Authority, Indian Railways, Ministry of Defence etc). Its operations cut across geographical frontiers of the sub-continent, with headquarters in Hyderabad and administrative offices in Chennai, Cochin, Bangalore, Pune, Kolkata, Jodhpur, Chattisgarh, Ahmedabad and Goa.Construction Sector:Construction is the second largest economic activity after agriculture in India. Construction sector can be classified into three segments: -1. Real Estate: The sector has suffered a meltdown in 2008 due to high interest rates and demand destruction. However we believe it will improve in the coming months due to the decrease in property prices, falling interest rates on home loans and favorable tax treatment.2. Infrastructure: This constitutes roads, water, ports, airports, freight corridor, power, etc. Investment in the infrastructure is robust and is at the center of the various stimuli that the Government is offering.3. Industrial Construction: This constitutes sectors like steel, textiles, fertilizers, and oil and gas refineries. This is where the maximum fall in demand is taking place and worries remain.Construction sector uses raw materials like steel, cement apart from using large working capital. The stock prices of leading companies dropped by an average 84% for the 6-months to early September 2008 due to the credit crises, slump in the housing market, increase in the prices of construction material, increase in rate of interest and increase in the prices of oil. But due to the decrease in interest rate, inflation and cut in the prices of steel, the sector is beginning to gain strength and deserves an upgrade.Financial Position:For the FY’08 the Net sales increased by 54% to Rs 3867 crore from Rs 2506 crore. The company derived Rs 3693 crore of its revenues from Engineering and Construction and about Rs 259 crore from Real Estate in the FY’08. The EBITDA also showed an improvement by 91.5% to Rs 572 crore. The Net profit registered a growth of 74% to Rs 283.4 crore from Rs 163 crore.For the second quarter of FY’09 the net revenue increased by an impressive 65% to Rs 1137 crore, due to faster execution of projects. The EBITDA grew by 69% to Rs 91.28 crore. The net profit showed an excellent improvement by 90% to Rs 67 crore from Rs 35.25 crore. This was due to high revenues and lower tax rate. Interest cost however more than doubled during the quarter due to high borrowings. The order booked during the second quarter FY’09 was worth Rs 2586.6 crore and backlog of orders during the same period was worth Rs 13,800 crore.The total net worth in FY’08 increased to Rs 2480 crore. The company also has stock options worth Rs 1 crore. The secured and unsecured loans, which the company has, were worth Rs 1725 crore. On the asset side a major portion consisted of current assets. The Debt/Equity ratio as on 31st Mar 08 stood at 0.66.During the year, some of the Foreign Currency Convertible Bond (FCCB) holders have exercised their option of converting their bonds into equity shares. Till the date of the Balance Sheet, amounts aggregating to US $ 18.10 million worth of bonds were converted into 3,545,284 equity shares of the face value of Rs.2 each. Rs 7.1 crore has been debited to the Profit and Loss account during the year towards foreign exchange translation difference on Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds and deposits in foreign currency.Subsidiaries:IVRCL’s major subsidiaries are:-IVR prime Urban Developers Ltd: IVR Prime is dedicated to creating luxury-intensive urban infrastructure. Its net profit for the FY’08 increased by a spectacular 750% to Rs 176 crore from Rs 20.6 crore in FY’07.Hindustan Dorr-Oliver Ltd (HDO): Hindustan Dorr Oliver Limited (HDO) is an Indian EPC company having its core business activities in providing Engineered Solutions, technologies and EPC installations in Liquid-Solid Separation applications. The company’s core business focus is on Water Management. Its net profit for the FY’08 increased by 47% to Rs 22.64 crs. Sector wise order booked in FY 2007-08 accounts for 54% in environment, 27% in minerals, 14% in fertilizers and 5% in pulp and paper. IVR Prime and HDO are listed subsidiaries on NSE.Chennai Water Desalination Ltd: Executing the most prestigious contract of Chennai Sea Water Desalination Plant Project at Minjure, Chennai.Alkor Petroo Ltd: is a Hyderabad based subsidiary of IVRCL engaged in Oil & Gas Exploration & Production. It has an association with Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Ltd (GSPCL).Investment Positives:IVRCL has a very strong order book, making it an attractive investment. The order book remains extremely healthy at Rs 15500 crore. Recently the company bagged a few more orders, latest being from Bangalore Metro Rail Corp, IOC and Karnataka Water Supply Board in the first week of Jan 09. This will inflate the order book to a massive Rs 16000 crore approx. It has the best Order book to Turnover ratio in the industry. Also, NHAI has been going slow on orders in the last two years and it is expected to complete orders for more than 6000 kms in the one or two months- thrice the orders placed in 2007-08. IVRCL is expected to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of this.Steel companies announced a price cut during Sep 2008, which will help reduce the cost of material for construction companies. The price of the cement is also expected to ease in the future. This will shore up margins considerably.Decreasing rates of interest and easing inflation is bound to create a positive impact on the construction companies. With the decrease in rate of interest the cost of borrowing has reduced to a great extent, making the condition favorable for taking more debt to finance the projects.Mid cap stocks such as IVRCL are exposed to infrastructure segment, which is expected to grow in the coming future. India, which is Asia’s 3rd largest economy, is in need of greater infrastructure spending for the next 10 years for economic expansion. India has allocated huge expenditure for the building of airports, highways and for the Commonwealth Games in 2010.Concerns:Any delays in implementation of the projects undertaken by the company may affect its profitability.For more funding requirement the company has to depend on leverage, which will cause increase in the rate of interest to be paid on debt. Increasing interest costs may have a dampening affect on the profits.There is a risk that the government could change certain regulations for the construction sector. The biggest threat relates to availability of 80IA benefit to construction companies. IVRCL has got an award from IYAT in this regard. We believe the government is not likely to enact unfavorable regulations for the sector given the present environment.The table clearly places IVRCL as one of the most attractive bets in the Construction space. The company is growing at a phenomenal pace (change in Net profit of 74%) vis-à-vis its competitors and boasts of some fantastic orders in its kitty.Valuation:IVRCL has shown a good financial performance for the FY’08 and for the second quarter FY’09. The company has a strong order book and currently it is undervalued, making the stock a good investment. In our view it is one of the best plays in the Indian infrastructure.

best stock for 2009 according to BUSINESS TODAY

Business Today magazine had recently published list of top 20 stocks to buy or watch in 2009. One may treat these as buy stock advice, strictly for long term investment. Mentioned here are good stocks that are strong to survive slowdown in 2009 and emerge as best stocks out of gloom. They are very chep stocks in terms of value investing for long term valuations. The list is in alphebetical order.Business Today had spoken to 11 of the brightest minds on Dalal Street and got them to identify their favourite long-term value picks.
Aventis Pharma
Focus on lifestyle segment keeps it in good healthFor some time now, smart money has been moving into shares of multinational pharmaceuticals companies. After India entered the product patent regime in 2005, the fortunes of MNC pharma companies have changed for the better.They can now introduce new blockbuster drugs of their foreign parents and enjoy the profits. Aventis Pharma is one such well-placed MNC.It is focussing on fast-growing lifestyle segments like cardiovascular and diabetes in the domestic market. Aventis has a few strong products in this segment like Amaryl (anti-diabetes) with a 4 per cent market share and Cardace (cardiovascular segment) with a 28 per cent market share.
Besides, its parent Sanofi-Aventis, France, has a huge pipeline of molecules under development in the lifestyle category.But what has impressed analysts is the aggressive introduction of its parents’ products in the Indian market. Says Rajiv Thakkar, CEO, Parag Parikh Financial Advisory Services (PPFAS): “Aventis’ overseas product introductions in India will expand its domestic business over time.”Another factor, Thakkar says, that will benefit the stock is its debt-free status and a hefty cash balance. Thakkar, however, has not put a target price on the stock and cautions that the uncertain market may play spoilsport in the short-term. But in the long term, he says, “the stock has the makings of a multi-bagger.”—Clifford AlvaresAxis BankStrong business model to offset succession worriesThe stock market often reacts sharply to news from the banking sector. Axis Bank’s stock dipped sharply—slipping nearly 18 per cent to Rs 394.50 on January 27, 2009, down from Rs 485 on January 9, 2009. The market, already edgy over slowdown fears, was more worried over the retirement of Axis Bank’s long-time chairman P.J. Nayak, and the issue of a successor. Axis Bank’s advances continue to grow at a decent clip of over 50 per cent at a time when credit expansion has slumped.The bank is facing a squeeze on margins as lending rates are falling while borrowing costs have yet to come down. Another hitch is possible stake sale of 21.5 per cent in Axis Bank held by administrator of the special undertaking of UTI. Says Vaibhav Agarwal, analyst, Angel Broking: “Axis Bank has been focussing on retail liabilities business before increasing its loan assets. Its fee income too is doing well.”—Clifford Alvares
Bharat Electronics
Armed for growthJust when large manufacturers are curtailing their activities to save on costs, Bharat Electronics is opening a support centre at Kochi, Kerala, to serve its growing clientele. A Navratna public sector undertaking which gets 80-85 per cent of sales from the armed forces, BEL’s turnover and profit after tax have been rising consistently for four decades now. It is talking to global players like Lockheed Martin, Boeing and EADS to make the most of the government’s “offset” clause, which requires any foreign company bagging an order worth over Rs 300 crore from India’s defence sector to share 30 per cent of it with Indian firms.It also gains from its links with the Defence Research & Development Organisation. Says V.V.R. Sastry, BEL’s Chairman & Managing Director: “We are interacting with DRDO for developing new products.” Over the last one year, the BEL scrip has slid some 59 per cent, but broking houses still bet big on it. Says Dolat Capital’s Sameer Panke: “In the last five years, while the defence budget has grown at 12 per cent, defence capital expenditure grew at 23 per cent. BEL is a big beneficiary of this increase. The company has strong cash flows and no debts at all.’’—K.R. Balasubramanyam
Bharti Airtel
More subscribers, more towers, and now more spectrumBharti Airtel typifies the success story of Indian mobile telephony. Its outstanding execution skills have made it the market leader. Over FY2006-08, Bharti cornered 26.5 per cent of the all-India incremental mobile subscriber additions. In the third quarter (fiscal 2009), it reported an increase of 41.5 per cent in gross revenues on a year-on-year basis, and 9 per cent on a sequential basis. During the same period, its mobile subscriber base grew by 55.3 per cent y-o-y and 10.5 per cent q-o-q to 85.7 million. Says Sunil Mittal, CMD, Bharti Airtel: “Bharti’s strategy of extensive roll-out ahead of competition, especially in new villages, has yielded rich dividends.”The company is also well placed with its telecom infrastructure business, given the need for rapid network expansion by current and new operators. Bharti, with the largest tower portfolio in India through Infratel, is likely to be a key beneficiary. Then there are other reasons why the stock is a good bet. The spectrum allocation imbroglio seems to have been resolved. Says Hitesh Agrawal, Head of Research, Angel Broking: “The spectrum issue was critical for the sustained growth of the telecom sector. Now the medium-term growth requirement of Bharti has been taken care of.”Checkout: Bharti Airtel - Investing In Stock From Telecom Sector—Rishi Joshi
BHEL
Everybody wants light in dark times—and BHEL has the spark.Bharat heavy electricals, the largest manufacturer of power plant equipment, is one company that is unlikely to be hit by the economic gloom. It knows the government will spend freely to improve the power sector. And the government does not cancel orders. So, BHEL, which has 64 per cent of the power plant market, has been ramping up capacity.By December 2007, it had increased capacity from 6,000 MW a year to 10,000 MW, and is now taking it to 20,000 MW by 2011-12. Says Pulkit Bakliwal, analyst at Sharekhan: “The 11th Five-Year Plan has envisaged capacity addition of 78,000 MW.BHEL has been the major beneficiary of the spending.” Government projects account for around 85 per cent of BHEL’s order book of Rs 1,04,000 crore, giving it high revenue stability. “Even in the present scenario, orders placed by government institutions are unlikely to get cancelled,” says Bakliwal, pointing out that the cash-strapped private players may have to do so. “This gives BHEL a huge comfort level,” Bakliwal adds.But there are bumps on the road ahead. BHEL could face project delays and a lag before new orders start coming in. The stock, at slightly above Rs 1,320, is trading at a premium. Says Bakliwal: “A strong balance sheet and huge cash pile of about Rs 8,400 crore would help BHEL sail smoothly through the challenging business environment. We recommend a buy with a price target of Rs 1,546 over the next 12 months.”—Manu Kaushik
CRISIL
Ratings become vital during downturnsThe global credit crisis has hit the capital-raising plans of Indian companies.The only window open these days is through domestic debt issues or bank borrowings.Here’s where a debt rating from CRISIL, India’s largest rating agency, helps. Another growth avenue has been created by the Basel-II norms to rate corporate loans given by banks.Says Jigar Valia of Parag Parikh Financial Advisory Services (PPFAS): “It’s a small component now, but it’s going to be a phenomenally fast-growing business. It’s a perpetual and stable income.” CRISIL’s work for its parent Standard & Poor’s is a cash cow.Adds Valia: “Even in years of de-growth, this company was trading at a PE multiple of 20 times; but thanks to the financial crisis, the stock is cheap.”—Clifford Alvares
Engineers India
No fear of input cost hikesOne of Asia’s leading design and engineering companies, Engineers India builds petroleum refineries, industrial projects, offshore structures, metallurgy and power projects. India’s substantial investments in infrastructure have given it an order book of Rs 8,000 crore, to be executed over 3-4 years. It has begun protecting its margins by signing open-book orders—input cost hikes are passed through.Says Ajay Parmar of Emkay Global Financial Services: “The stock looks quite attractive… there are no worries about the management since the government holds a 91 per cent stake… it has zero debt and high dividend payout. It’s a very safe bet in the current market scenario.”—Rishi Joshi
GMDC
Sitting on a mine of wealthThe share price of Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation was one of the worst affected when Gujarat government asked state-run companies to fork out 30 per cent of their profit before tax for social work. Despite this, the stock is still seen as a good value pick—the bad news has been discounted. Profitability is expected to get a boost from the recent lignite price hike. “Full impact will be seen in the next financial year,” says Sameer Ranade, analyst at PINC Research.The government may reverse the 30 per cent rule, since minority shareholders at some other companies have mutinied. GMDC’s moves into the power sector will add to valuation.—Virendra Verma
HCl Technologies
Seeking a global footprintAs India’s fifth-largest IT services exporter, straddling a diverse portfolio of services that ranges from R&D to enterprise, BPO and infrastructure management, HCL Technologies has a de-risked model as it is essentially in high-growth, high-end, low competition areas. It is looking at inorganic growth.The acquisition of UK-based Axon last year is expected to help it become a major player in SAP implementation, an area from which it expects to get a quarter of its revenues, against 11 per cent now. Says Vineet Nayar, CEO, HCL Technologies, “We have successfully integrated Axon to dominate the SAP space globally.”Anagram’s V.K. Sharma says: “We feel the worsening global macroeconomic situation and slowdown in IT spending is factored in at this price. The stock trades at almost 8 per cent dividend yield, limiting its downside from these levels.”—Rishi Joshi
HDFC
Pioneer grows biz in slowdownAt a time when the home loans business is in the dumps, a lower third-quarter profit at India’s largest housingfinance company did not ring any alarm bells. Housing Development Finance Corporation actually boosted net interest income by 18 per cent to Rs 785 crore but was hit by higher running expenses. Analysts did not waver from their “buy” rating.HDFC’s asset quality has improved further, it has valuable subsidiaries in insurance and asset management and it has been consolidating its business. HDFC’s asset quality has improved in December 2008. Says Gaurav Dua of Sharekhan: “Throughout its history, HDFC has shown a healthy growth.”