Stock Views on Titan, Cipla, Petronet LNG

HSBC on Titan Industries

HSBC reiterates ‘overweight’ rating on Titan Industries. The company’s second-quarter FY09 results were quite good. It reported a 53% increase in sales and 88% net profit growth. Moreover, both the watches and jewellery divisions posted satisfactory sales growth and handsome margin expansion. HSBC expects that the effects of the slowdown will be reflected in Titan’s results from Q3 onwards. Nevertheless, the risks to FY09E estimates are more to the upside than the downside. However, HSBC has cut the company’s EPS estimate for FY10E by 3.5% to factor in slower demand next year. HSBC has identified the following growth drivers for Titan: 1) The company has recently forayed into the eyewear business with 30 stores, which may cross 150 stores by FY11E; 2) New designs and innovation across products should take wallet share; 3) Increase in charges for making jewellery; and 4) Increased preference of consumers for branded jewellery. HSBC values Titan at 20x FY10E EPS, with a target price of Rs 1,100 per share. The target price gives a potential total return of 31%.

INDIA Infoline on Petronet LNG

INDIA Infoline upgrades Petronet LNG from a ‘market performer’ to a ‘buy’, with a target price of Rs 48 and upside of 22.8%. The company reported a flat sales growth, despite a near 10% fall in sales volumes to 75 TBTUs as one high-pressure pump was de-commissioned for repair. The fall in volumes was higher than expected as the repair work stretched over a period of 3.5 months. However, the volume decline was offset to some extent on account of higher realisations aided by depreciation in the rupee. Going ahead, the 5 mmt expansion at Dahej terminal is scheduled to commence operations in Q4 FY09, while the Kochi project is likely to go on stream in ’12. With domestic gas supplies expected to increase, Petronet will find it tough to market the costlier regasified LNG. Further, with tightness in the international market, sourcing long-term LNG at affordable prices is difficult. However, the 35% correction in the company’s stock price over the past couple of months is unwarranted and is steeper than the perceived risks.

MERRILL Lynch on Cipla

MERRILL Lynch maintains ‘underperform’ rating on Merrill Lynch, despite stable margin outlook, given rich valuations and lack of upside triggers. Cipla’s Q2 net income was 7% lower than Merrill Lynch’s estimates due to higher-than-expected forex loss (Rs 100 crore) despite 23% growth in topline and stable margins of 23.3%. Cipla trades at 21x FY09E and 16x FY10E earnings — over 25% premium to the average of the domestic generics sector. The stock has corrected in the past few weeks and it is expected to be range-bound, given lack of visibility on big product upsides. Within inhalers, Cipla has developed eight HFA inhalers for the European Union market, and six products have been submitted, which can involve a long clinical trial process. The company is setting up capacities at different places (four plants in Indore SEZ coming up in February ’09); the full impact of this will be seen later. Work on the Goa SEZ remains stalled (Rs 150 crore has been invested so far). Cipla faces the risk of fluctuating margins in the coming quarters, given high contribution from low-margin HIV products (>30% of revenues) and pricing pressure in developed markets.