INDIABULLS REAL ESTATE

The developments in Indiabulls Property Investment Trust (IPIT) and new project launches look inspiring. Total saleable area of IPIT has increased from 5 million square feet (MSF) to 6.3 MSF owing to change in FSI. It has 2 MSF of constructed office space, of which 0.9 MSF has been leased and another 0.3 MSF is expected to be leased in March 2010 quarter. The management expects new leases to be done at Rs 185-190 per square feet, up from Rs 175 earlier. The brokerage believes that IPIT is undervalued and estimates its equity value at Rs 6,000 crore or Singapore dollar $0.50 per unit (currently trading at $0.26). In 2009-10, Indiabulls Real Estate (IBREL) launched about 20 MSF of residential projects, including in Mumbai (9 MSF). Of the total, 2 MSF has already been sold (including 0.5 MSF in IPIT). IBREL recently raised Rs 2,700 crore through a QIP, which is yet to be deployed. The company is looking at strategic, big-ticket land-banks, particularly in Navi Mumbai, Dharavi and Mantralaya projects.

Since the stocks’ downgrade by the brokerage on July 31, 2009, it has underperformed the broader markets by 25 per cent. However, given the increase in saleable area at IPIT, pick-up in residential sales and bottoming of commercial lease rentals, it is upgrading the stock to ‘buy’ with target price of Rs 259 per share.