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    The Baseline

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    The Baseline
    21 Aug 2026
    Five Interesting Stocks Today - August 21, 2026

    Five Interesting Stocks Today - August 21, 2026

    By Trendlyne Analysis

    1. Aditya Birla Capital:

    This financial services company gained around 3% on Thursday after announcing its entry into the gold-loan business. It plans to open more than 200 dedicated branches by the end of FY27 and scale the network to around 1,000 branches over the next three years, expanding its presence across urban and semi-urban markets.

    Gold loans are emerging as one of the fastest-growing retail credit segments, with NBFC (non-banking financial company) lending against gold jewellery rising 69% YoY in June 2026. Higher gold prices have also boosted the value of jewellery that borrowers can pledge, supporting demand for gold-backed loans. The new business will add a secured retail product to the company’s lending portfolio. Still, execution remains a key monitorable as it takes on established players such as Muthoot Finance and Manappuram Finance.

    The expansion comes as its existing lending businesses continue to grow. Q1 performance beat Forecaster estimates, with revenue rising 29% and net profit jumping 40%. The overall lending portfolio grew 32%, driven by strong growth in both the NBFC and housing-finance (HF) businesses. Asset quality remained stable, with provisions for bad loans edging down from a year earlier.

    Housing finance is emerging as a growth driver, as profit before tax from the segment doubled after asset under management (AUM) rose 50%. HF CEO Pankaj Gadgil said the business is “looking at moving (to double) the AUM close to 1 lakh crores in the next 6 to 8 quarters.” To achieve this, the firm plans to add around 200 branches this fiscal year, while keeping operating costs broadly range-bound despite continued investments in the network.

    Aditya Birla Capital also raised Rs 4,000 crore in fresh capital during Q1, with 87.5% allocated for growth in its NBFC business. Management said the capital should support the NBFC’s growth requirements over the next three years, providing funding headroom as it expands into gold loans and other retail products.

    Motilal Oswal reiterated its ‘Buy’ rating with a target price of Rs 480. The brokerage expects the company’s expanding customer base and broader product suite to drive cross-selling, with consolidated profit projected to grow at around 28% annually over FY27-28.

    2. Acutaas Chemicals:

    This pharmaceutical company rose 6% on Tuesday after it won approval under the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme for its Electrolyte Additives manufacturing business. Acutaas is investing Rs 256.5 crore in the project and could receive up to Rs 30 crore in government incentives.

    Electrolyte additives are chemicals used in batteries to improve their performance and stability. The company has begun commercial supplies of two such products from its new 4,000-tonne plant. It is also adding another electrolyte additive, which already has a signed customer contract and is expected to ramp up in FY28.

    In Q1FY27, revenue rose 59% YoY to Rs 329.7 crore, led by a 77% jump in advanced pharmaceutical intermediates revenue. Growth was driven by higher sales of existing and newer pharmaceutical intermediates and its contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) business. Net profit surged 70%, helped by a better product mix and operating efficiencies.

    The company is targeting Rs 1,000 crore in CDMO revenue by FY28. President of Strategy Abhishek Patel said, “We expect four new CDMO products to start contributing revenue from the second half of this year. Each has a peak annual revenue potential of Rs 50-100 crore.”

    Specialty chemicals revenue, however, fell 10.6% as the company phased out lower-margin commodity chemicals. Management expects growth in semiconductor chemicals, battery chemicals and newer specialty products to more than offset the decline in commodity chemicals this year. Acutaas is also expanding its semiconductor chemicals business through Indichem, its South Korean joint venture. Construction of the plant is ahead of schedule, with revenue expected from the next financial year.

    Following Q1 results, Deven Choksey maintained its 'Accumulate' rating on the stock with a higher target price of Rs 3,567. The brokerage expects contract manufacturing, battery and semiconductor chemicals to support growth as the company moves towards higher-value products. It expects net profit to grow at a CAGR of 28% through FY28.

    3. Welspun Living: 

    Thishome-textile company gained 18% over the past week after announcing itsQ1FY27 results on August 13. Revenue rose 24% YoY, beatingForecaster estimates by 4%, while net profit jumped 84%. Higher sales volume and a more profitable product mix drove this growth.

    The US accounts for ~60% of Welspun’s revenue, with the pillow business emerging as a major growth driver. Revenue of the pillow business more than doubled in Q1 as capacity utilisation at the company’s Ohio factory reached ~81% and its Nevada plant began operations. Management expects pillow revenue to double to around $60 million in FY27. 

    Profitability is also improving in the flooring business, where EBITDA margin reached 10.4%, its highest in over two years. Management attributed the improvement to higher sales of soft flooring products, expansion into new markets, and tighter cost control. To support higher volumes, Welspun is also upgrading its existing plants. CFO Manish Bansalsaid, “We are targeting roughly around Rs 400 crore to Rs 500 crore of capex. And that is for automation, modernisation, and debottlenecking.”

    The UK has become another potential growth market after the India-UK free trade agreement took effect in July. They import an estimated $5–7 billion of home textiles annually. The deal puts India on equal tariff terms with Pakistan, which supplies over half of the UK’s home-textile imports. Welspun already has retailer relationships in the UK and an established presence through Christy, its premium home textiles brand, helping it pursue new orders without building a distribution network from scratch.

    A key near-term challenge is flooding at its Vapi facility, which management expects to affect Q2. However, production partially resumed within a week, with output rerouted to other plants. MD & CEO Dipali Goenkasaid, “I can tell you that in Q3 and Q4, we are going to restore growth. So, for the full year, Welspun Living will continue to deliver double-digit growth.”

    Post results, Motilal Oswalmaintained its ‘Buy’ rating with a target price of Rs 215. The brokerage expects Welspun’s emerging businesses to contribute more over the next two years, alongside the recovery in its core home-textile business. It also raised its FY27 and FY28 earnings estimates on better growth visibility. 

    4. Bharti Hexacom:

    This telecom services company rose 1.6% over the past week after reporting its June-quarter results. Q1FY27 revenue rose 11.8% YoY, driven by growth in the mobile services segment. Meanwhile, net profit rose 23.2%, supported by higher average revenue per user (ARPU) and an improving premium subscriber mix. However, net profit came in 15.7% below Trendlyne’s Forecaster estimates due to softer subscriber additions during the quarter. The stock features in a screener of companies that have shown relative outperformance compared with their industry over the past month.

    New smartphone data subscriber additions slowed to 3.4 lakh in Q1, down from roughly 5 lakh in the previous quarter. Management explained this as typical seasonal behaviour, noting that customer sign-ups usually dip in the first half of the year before picking up speed in the second half.

    Accounting for roughly 8% of its parent Airtel’s total subscriber base and regional footprint, Bharti Hexacom benefited directly from Airtel’s strategy of phasing out budget prepaid plans and nudging users toward premium tiers. This strategic shift helped drive its ARPU up to Rs 259, compared to Rs 246 in Q1FY26. While management noted that an extra calendar day in the quarter provided a minor tailwind, top-line growth was fueled by heavy data consumption, structural upgrades, and widespread adoption of premium plans.

    In a notable milestone, Bharti Hexacom’s data engagement surpassed that of Airtel. Its subscribers used an average of 36.2 GB of data per month, exceeding Airtel’s national average of 34.4 GB. Management noted that it remains focused on 5G densification and scaling the Homes & Offices Service business. 

    Motilal Oswal retained its ‘Buy’ rating on the stock and raised its target price to Rs 2,050. The brokerage projects customer revenue and EBITDA to grow at CAGRs of ~14% and ~18%, respectively, over FY27-29, driven by an expected ~15% tariff hike in Q3FY27, led by continued premiumisation and market share gains.

    5. Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals:

    This consumer electricals company rose 2.7% on Thursday after laying out its long-term growth plans at its Investor Day. Crompton aims to double revenue over the next four years, with new businesses such as solar pumps, rooftop solar and wires expected to play a bigger role. These categories currently contribute little to revenue but could eventually grow to account for around 20% of sales.

    The core business is also moving towards higher-value products. In Q1FY27, revenue rose 12% YoY, and profit increased 15%, despite supply disruptions and commodity inflation. Its electrical consumer durables business grew 11%, led by sales of premium BLDC fans. CFO Kaleeswaran Arunachalam said, “The BLDC journey for us is probably beginning,” adding that there is a “long, long leg room” for growth.

    Solar rooftop could become one of the more immediate contributors from the newer businesses. Crompton has built an order book of around Rs 500 crore within four months of entering the business. Commenting on execution, MD & CEO Promeet Ghosh said, “This quarter and the next quarter are where I would expect a huge bulk of that order book to get executed.” With around 80% of the market still unorganised, the company is betting that its existing brand, distribution and service network can help it gain share.

    However, execution will depend partly on how well Crompton manages supply chains and raw material costs. The company lost around Rs 200 crore in primary sales in Q1 due to supply disruptions, although management said most of the issues had stabilised by June-end and had returned to normal in July. To offset higher input costs, the firm used price hikes alongside its cost-management programme. Management said around 80% of inflationary costs had already been passed on, while cost savings and operating leverage helped improve EBITDA margin by 20 bps.

    Motilal Oswal maintains a ‘Buy’ rating with a target price of Rs 340. It expects revenue and net profit to grow at 13% and 21% annually over FY27–28. The brokerage also expects Crompton’s strong free cash flow to support expansion without adding pressure on its balance sheet.

    Trendlyne's analysts identify stocks that are seeing interesting price movements, analyst calls, or new developments. These are not buy recommendations.

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    The Baseline
    20 Aug 2026

    India’s IPO market: From listing gains to long-term performance

    By Anagh Keremutt

    India’s IPO boom has lost steam this year as geopolitical tensions and cautious investors prompted companies to rethink their listing plans. But demand for the issues that did launch remains strong, with recent mainboard IPOs drawing healthy investor interest.

    Several companies deferred their listing plans, while others put their IPO plans on hold. Zepto, for instance, had planned to raise Rs 8,010 crore through an IPO but has now opted to raise an eighth of that sum privately from existing investors. The move came after domestic mutual funds pushed back on the $4-5 billion valuation Zepto was seeking.

    “A slower IPO market has led to a transition period of pricing discipline. This is the beginning of the next IPO boom,” said Bharat Lahoti, President and Co-Head of Factor Investing at Edelweiss.

    So, are India’s IPOs still worth betting on?

    Average listing gains in mainboard IPOs fell to 8.7% in 2026 from 31.8% in 2021, even as most stocks listed this year are trading above their issue prices.

    The sectors driving IPO activity offer a glimpse into where companies see growth and need fresh capital. There’s also a divergence between SME and Mainboard performance. While SME (small & medium enterprises) IPOs yield higher listing pops on average, their performance after listing leaves much to be desired. And strong demand at the IPO stage does not always translate into strong post-listing returns.

    In this edition of Chart of the Week, we look at how the assessment of a ‘good’ IPO in India is evolving.

    Booming sectors fuel the IPO rush

    The IPO boom post pandemic has been a diversified one, with companies from sectors such as banking and finance, industrials, software, and consumer durables launching in the public markets to raise capital. In contrast, telecom, oil & gas, and media have seen fewer listings in recent years.

    Each year, one or two industries tend to dominate listings. In 2024, construction & engineering firms accounted for more listings as infrastructure spending picked up. A year later, electrical-equipment companies led the pack as they raised capital to expand capacity amid rising power demand and investment in the grid.

    This year, textiles has led with four IPOs so far. Recent trade agreements with the US, UK, EU, New Zealand and other markets are expected to lower tariffs on textile exports, adding to the sector’s appeal. “The India-UK FTA is likely to increase apparel and textile exports by 20-25% every year,” said Naren Goenka, chairman of Bharat Tex Trade Federation.

    Textile companies started to invest heavily in new capacity as these trade agreements were getting finalised.

    Alpine Texworld’s IPO shows how rising global demand is prompting textile companies to expand capacity. Its weaving units operated at over 107% of installed capacity in FY26, while the newly launched spinning unit also reached 88.5% utilisation. The company raised around Rs 126 crore through its IPO and plans to use part of the proceeds to set up a new weaving facility, increasing its fabric production capacity by 28%.

    Aastha Spintex is another example. It will use 65% of its IPO proceeds to acquire Falcon Yarns for Rs 131.5 crore, more than doubling its spinning and spindle capacity.

    Internet software & services has also seen three listings this year, with companies seeking capital to tap growing demand for cloud and digital infrastructure. Amagi Media Labs, for instance, will invest over 30% of its IPO proceeds in technology and cloud infrastructure.

    Listing pops grab headlines, but are only half the story

    Smaller issue sizes and strong subscription demand often make SME IPOs attractive to investors chasing listing gains. But data suggests that these initial pops didn’t translate into stronger performance this year. 

    SME IPOs listed at an average gain of 10.3%, versus 8.7% for mainboard IPOs. But only 55% of SME listings are trading above their issue price, versus 79% of mainboard listings.

    Some investors chase SME IPOs for quick listing gains, giving less importance to what happens after the debut. But exiting these small issues isn’t easy. About 32% of SMEs that debuted at a premium this year ended below their opening price on listing day. Half of them also hit their lower circuit, restricting further trading that day.

    With limited institutional participation, liquidity plays a key role in how easily investors can enter and exit SME stocks. Shouraya Khadgawat, lead strategist of equities at Centricity WealthTech, said, “Low trading volumes can make it harder to sell a large holding without significantly affecting the stock price.”

    For instance, Defrail Technologies listed at a premium of over 28%, but hit the lower circuit on both the listing day and the following trading session. The stock now trades 4% below the issue price.

    The key, however, is what happens to the business after listing. So far this year, mainboard IPOs are up 29% on average, compared with 22% for SMEs.

    Omnitech Engineering listed on the mainboard at an 11% discount after its IPO was subscribed 1.14 times. The company’s borrowings had more than tripled over two years by FY25. Nearly 40% of the issue was an offer for sale by the promoter, adding to investors’ concerns.

    By FY26, the company’s debt burden eased despite higher borrowings. Rather than aggressively cutting debt, Omnitech restructured its existing debt and is investing for growth. In Q1FY27, revenue rose 61% and net profit surged 5.7 times, while the company said it was expanding capacity to service its growing order book. The stock now trades 150% above its issue price.

    Shadowfax Technologies followed a similar path. It listed at a 9.2% discount, but the stock has more than doubled from its issue price after profitability jumped. CEO Abhishek Bansal also raised the company’s FY27 revenue growth guidance from 27-30% to 38-40%.

    A weak debut, then, does not tell the full story. The listing price reflects what investors think of the business at the time of the IPO. What matters over time is whether the business can deliver on those expectations.

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    The RBI kept interest rates unchanged again this August, meaning FDs and debt funds are still offering attractive, risk-free returns. But the stock market is volatile. What is your current mindset?

    Aug. 10, 2026

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    The Baseline
    19 Aug 2026
    Midcaps are rallying, but the Nifty stayed behind

    Midcaps are rallying, but the Nifty stayed behind

    By Tejas MD

    IPOs are having a moment. Twelve mainboard IPOs have listed in August so far, and all of them drew plenty of investor interest and strong listing gains. The appetite for stocks hasn’t disappeared.

    But you wouldn’t know it by looking at the Nifty 50.

    The index has not moved much over the past month, quarter, or even the past two years. This is despite India Inc delivering impressive revenue growth this June quarter - the fastest in 15 quarters. Higher oil prices have pushed up costs across industries, but earnings momentum is positive.

    Kuunal Shah, fund manager at Carnelian Asset Management & Advisors, says, “Earnings growth in India has improved over the last three quarters, and that should continue.” He expects earnings growth of 14%-15% for Nifty 500 companies in 2027 and 2028.

    So, if earnings have picked up and investors are still buying stocks, why is the Nifty 50 going nowhere?

    Let’s dive in.

    The Nifty 50 stayed flat, even as the rest of the market was moving

    One major culprit is driving the headlines of a muted stock market: India’s benchmark index, the Nifty 50.

    The Nifty 50's weekly average volume of 26.7 crore shares is more than a third below its 6-month average of 42 crore. This is a significant cooldown in largecap trading activity. The Nifty stayed flat in returns over the past year, while mid and small caps rose by double digits and hit new highs.

    Selling by foreign investors, while domestic investors favoured mid and small-caps, and weak performance from the biggest stocks drove this gap.

    The divergence is clear over longer time frames as well. 

    Largecap stocks have an FII money problem

    Foreign investors have been pulling money out of Indian equities, but domestic investors stepped in.

    Trendlyne’s FII/DII dashboard shows FIIs sold Rs 4.9 lakh crore in the cash market over the past year, while DIIs bought Rs 8.8 lakh crore (nearly 1.8× the amount FIIs sold).

    Ramesh Mantri, CIO of WhiteOak Capital, says, “Sustained FII selling has hurt largecaps disproportionately because foreign investors typically have a higher allocation to these companies.” 


    Where did the domestic money go? 

    Mid and small caps are obvious favourites. Midcap and smallcap funds attracted roughly Rs 5 for every Rs 1 that went into largecap funds. Largecap funds even saw an outflow in July, their first in nearly three years. 

    Dinshaw Irani, CEO, Helios Capital Asset Management says, "Divergence in earnings is also making small-caps and mid-caps more attractive to investors, despite their higher risk."

    Note that DII flows include MFs, insurance, EPFO and pension money. So pure fund category flows better capture active investor preference.

    The preference for mid and small caps also shows up in AUM. Over the past year, large-cap fund AUM grew just 6%, compared with 22% for midcaps and 24% for smallcaps. 

    Folio growth, which is another indicator of investor participation, favoured mid and small caps.


    Returns are also better for mid and small cap MFs. 

    Trendlyne’s Mutual Fund Dashboard shows that over the past year, midcap and smallcap MF categories gained 12% and 15%, respectively, compared with just 3% for largecap funds. But domestic institutions continued to buy large companies. 

    Returns explain the difference in enthusiasm

    The Nifty 50’s biggest stocks struggled over the past year. HDFC Bank fell 27%, and none of the index’s top five stocks gained in double digits.

    Midcaps moved in the opposite direction. All five of their biggest stocks gained in double digits, with Laurus Labs more than doubling. Smallcaps also performed well, with Delhivery the only one to remain flat.

    The concentration of the Nifty 50 makes this divergence more significant. As per the latest NSE indices fact sheets, Nifty 50’s top five stocks make up around 35% of the index, compared with just around 10% for the Midcap 150 and less than 7% for the Smallcap 250. So when a few heavyweights struggle, they can drag the entire index down.

    The difference is visible at the sector level too. Financial Services rose just 0.3% in the large-cap index, while the mid and small-cap index gained 26.3%. IT shows a similar split: large caps fell 7.9%, while mid and small caps rose 8.2%.

    Part of the reason is the pressure on large IT companies, as clients have become more cautious about traditional outsourcing. In financials, the difference has more to do with the stocks that make up the mid and small-cap index.

    IT was a major drag on large caps. TCS fell 24%, Wipro 27% and Infosys 23%, as clients became more cautious about traditional outsourcing and focused more on AI-led productivity.

    Mid-sized IT firms did better. Coforge and Persistent, with their stronger engineering businesses, were among the better performers.

    Financials also saw a big difference between large and mid/small caps. HDFC Bank, the biggest stock in the large-cap financials index, fell sharply and dragged the segment down.

    The mid and small-cap index has more non-lenders. BSE, MCX and PB Fintech make up a sizeable share, benefiting from rising activity in trading, investing and insurance. BSE rose 32% and MCX 84%.

    Where does that leave the Nifty 50?

    It’s not all bad news. The index has recovered some ground over the past quarter, helped by a rebound in IT. And after its underperformance, valuations have become more attractive: the Nifty 50 is now trading below its 1-year, 2-year and 5-year average PE.

    Midcaps continue to hit new highs, even though they trade below their historical average PE. They remain more expensive than the Nifty 50, while smallcaps look even pricier, with their current PE still above all three historical averages.

    Sachin Bajaj, Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer at Axis Max Life, says, “Valuations of Indian markets at 19.7x FY27E and 17x FY28E are trending below long-term averages.”

    Nifty Midcap 150 and Nifty Smallcap 250 may have done better over the past year, but the Nifty 50 now offers a more attractive valuation. Closing the gap will depend on Nifty's heavyweight stocks rediscovering their mojo.

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    The Baseline
    18 Aug 2026
    Five stocks to buy from analysts this week - August 18, 2026

    Five stocks to buy from analysts this week - August 18, 2026

    By Ruchir Sankhla

    1. Lenskart Solutions: 

    Motilal Oswal reiterates its ‘Buy’ rating on this eyewear retailer, with a target price of Rs 705, an upside of 12.2%. In Q1FY27, Lenskart's revenue grew 43% YoY, driven by strong sales in India and overseas, while higher customer spending on premium eyewear helped net profit reach Rs 221.8 crore. 

    Management sees significant room to add stores without hurting sales at existing outlets. Sales from established Indian stores increased 18.3% during the quarter. Lenskart added 132 stores, bringing its global total to 3,459. It has identified more than 6,100 PIN codes where it does not yet have a presence, and plans to open more than 3,000 stores in existing markets. Analysts Aditya Bansal and Avinash Karumanchi note that the company targets all price segments effectively: premium lines generate 20% of sales, while manufacturing efficiencies have made its entry-level Rs 500 range profitable.

    Bansal and Karumanchi forecast annual revenue and net profit to grow by 25% and 50%, respectively, over FY27–28. As frame manufacturing moves in-house and supply chains are streamlined, margins should get a boost. The analysts have also raised their FY27–28 operating profit estimates by up to 5%.

    2. Fine Organic Industries:

    Anand Rathi maintains its ‘Buy’ rating on this chemicals manufacturer, with a target price of Rs 6,000, an upside of 17.8%. In Q1FY27, the company’s revenue grew 18% YoY, led by stronger pricing and robust exports, which made up 60% of sales. Net profit also rose 18%. Analysts Nitesh Dhoot and Tanvi Warekar highlight that Fine Organic protected its profitability by passing rising raw material, power, and transport costs on to customers.

    Management expects flat near-term volumes because most factories operate near full capacity. While the Patalganga plant offers extra room, the next major growth driver will be the new Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority Special Economic Zone (JNPA SEZ) facility, scheduled to start up in late FY28. Fine Organic is also constructing its first manufacturing plant in the US, with the first phase forecasted to be operational in 2027.

    Dhoot and Warekar estimate profits to surge from FY28 as new plants start contributing. Fine Organic currently has Rs 1,400 crore in cash and anticipates generating an additional Rs 750 crore over FY27–28. The analysts believe this cash flow will fund the India and US expansion without requiring heavy debt.

    3. Akums Drugs & Pharmaceuticals: 

    ICICI Securities maintains its ‘Buy’ rating on this pharma major, with a higher target price of Rs 850, implying a 14.1% upside. The company showed solid Q1FY27 results. Revenue grew 13.9% YoY, led by traction in the contract development & manufacturing organisation (CDMO) and domestic branded formulations segments. Net profit soared 57.5%, fueled by inventory destocking and richer margins in trade generics and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).

    Management expects sales to increase at a double-digit rate over the next two years. Analysts Abdulkader Puranwala and Nisha Shetty believe growth will be supported by new contracts in Zambia and Europe, with shipments scheduled to begin by Q3FY27. Akums has also acquired Oriflame India’s colour cosmetics manufacturing facilities, enabling it to expand into skincare, cosmetics and wellness products.

    The analysts note that exports and higher-value products should improve profitability. Management also anticipates the European and Zambian contracts to earn better margins than its domestic business. Exiting smaller non-core businesses should also support profits. They estimate revenue to grow by around 14.4% annually and net profit by 37.7% annually over FY27 and FY28.

    4. Ipca Laboratories: 

    Emkay reiterates its ‘Buy’ rating on this pharma manufacturer, with a target price of Rs 1,950, implying a 3.6% upside. Ipca delivered strong Q1FY27 earnings as revenue grew 20.2% YoY, boosted by domestic formulations, generics, and branded products sales. Net profit surged 72.3%, thanks to a high-value product mix. 

    Management has raised its FY27 revenue growth target to 15% as demand remains healthy across markets. Sales at Unichem, its US business, are also improving, easing concerns about US growth. Analysts Shashank Krishnakumar and Mohd Suheb Alam highlight plans to invest Rs 700–800 crore to expand manufacturing capacity for finished medicines, biological drugs and key ingredients used to make medicines.

    Krishnakumar and Alam believe profitability will improve as higher-value products and exports contribute more to sales. They also expect revenue to rise faster than raw material and employee costs. They forecast revenue to grow by around 10.2% annually and net profit by 16.2% annually over FY27–29.

    5. Pitti Engineering: 

    Deven Choksey maintains its ‘Buy’ rating on this small-cap electrical equipment manufacturer, with a target price of Rs 1,258, an upside of 21.5%. In Q1FY27, revenue rose 15.9% YoY, thanks to demand across its core businesses. Railways generated 28% of revenue, power generation brought in 15%, and industrial applications contributed 12%.

    Management anticipates 17–18% volume growth over the next few years as it targets new businesses in mining, oil & gas, data centres, and specialty industrial markets. A recently completed expansion of sheet metal, machining, and castings production will boost H2FY27 output, supporting its annual revenue target of up to 3,300 crore by FY27. Pitti is also investing Rs 290 crore in a new Hyderabad plant, which is scheduled to start operations in Q1FY30.

    Analyst Manik Jain projects profits to rise faster than revenue as Pitti makes more higher-value finished and assembled components. He believes new capacity and better use of existing factories should also support profitability. Jain estimates annual revenue and net profit growth of 14.1% and 26.8%, respectively, over FY27–28. He raised his FY28 earnings estimate by 6% and expects EBITDA margins to reach up to 17.5% by FY28.

    Note: These recommendations are from various analysts and are not recommendations by Trendlyne.

    (You can find all analyst picks here)

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    The Baseline
    14 Aug 2026

    How India’s top CEOs got paid in FY26

    By Anagh Keremutt

    Indian companies faced rising costs in FY26, with supply disruptions and volatile crude oil prices weighing on margins towards the end of the year. Several firms responded with price hikes, while others absorbed the higher costs to protect demand.

    But how much of that pressure reached the corner office?

    The median CEO compensation rose 5% to Rs 10.5 crore in FY26, the slowest growth since COVID-19. Anandorup Ghose, Partner at Deloitte India, said CXO pay decisions in India have become more measured. “With Indian equities underperforming over the past 12-18 months and market risks rising, boards have kept pay hikes in check,” he added.

    Performance-linked bonuses and stock awards made up a huge chunk of many executives’ pay. Swiggy's Group CEO Sriharsha Majety received Rs 550 crore in FY26, seven times his previous year’s compensation. Nearly all of it came from exercising stock options during the year.

    While IT CEOs topped the pay charts, some executives took home a much larger share of their companies’ profits. Bank CEOs earned relatively little compared with the profits of the country’s biggest lenders.

    In this edition of Chart of the Week, we look at some of India’s highest-paid CEOs across industries in FY26.

    IT CEOs cash in on stock rewards

    Software companies typically pay their CEOs some of the highest salaries in India. In FY26, stock-linked rewards made up a large part of that pay.

    Persistent Systems CEO Sandeep Kalra received the highest pay among IT CEOs in FY26, with his compensation equivalent to about 20.8% of the company’s net profit. His total compensation of Rs 388.6 crore was 162% higher than the previous year. Excluding exercised stock options, Kalra’s core cash salary rose 43%.

    Salil Parekh of Infosys received a total remuneration of Rs 82.6 crore, up 2.4% YoY. His base pay, retirement benefits and performance-based bonus accounted for 38.6% of his total pay. The larger chunk of his pay came from stock awards exercised during the year. Under Parekh’s leadership, Infosys secured numerous large deals during the year, half of which were new deals.

    Wipro’s CEO Srinivas Pallia took home Rs 49.6 crore in FY26, about 0.4% of the company’s profit. His pay included a fixed salary of Rs 29 crore, with the rest from performance-based rewards.

    Some CEOs took a bigger slice of profits

    CEOs in personal products, real estate, pharmaceuticals and auto sectors earned higher pay packages relative to their companies’ FY26 profits. Some executives received significant pay hikes.

    FMCG company Marico paid its CEO Saugata Gupta Rs 47.3 crore, accounting for 2.7% of the company’s annual profit. His total pay rose 20.7% from the previous year, with more than half coming from exercised stock options.

    Sudhir Sitapati, MD & CEO of Godrej Consumer, took home Rs 31.5 crore, about 1.7% of the company’s annual net profit. His remuneration, however, fell 10.2% from the previous year. The company's stock tanked earlier this week after Sitapati abruptly resigned, shortly after his tenure was extended by another five years.

    Dabur paid CEO Mohit Malhotra Rs 15.4 crore. Despite taking on the Global CEO role, Malhotra’s pay rose just 5% during the year, slightly below the median hike.

    Mahindra Lifespace’s Amit Sinha earned Rs 36 crore, about 12% of the company’s profit. Stock awards from the parent company, Mahindra & Mahindra, accounted for three-fourths of his total pay. Under Sinha’s leadership, the company has expanded its development pipeline fivefold since he took the helm in FY23.

    Gaurav Pandey of Godrej Properties received Rs 23.2 crore, four times his pay in the previous year. Most of the increase came from his performance bonus. During the year, the company achieved its highest-ever booking value, up 16%, while Pandey’s compensation amounted to 1.3% of the company’s profit.

    Kiran S Divi of Divi’s Laboratories received Rs 34.8 crore, 96% of which came from profit-linked incentives. 

    Dr. Satyanarayana Chava, CEO of Laurus Labs, received Rs 24.8 crore, or 2.8% of the company’s annual profit. His pay surged 88% from the previous year, with a significant portion coming from bonuses as the company’s EBITDA jumped 64%.

    CEO Pranay Godha received an 11% pay hike, taking his compensation at Ipca Laboratories to Rs 10 crore. The increase came as the company’s net profit rose 51%.

    JK Tyre paid CEO Anshuman Singhania Rs 39 crore, about 5% of the company’s annual profit. Three-fourths of his pay came from commissions linked to profitability. The company’s profit surged 50% in FY26.

    Ashok Leyland CEO Shenu Agarwal earned Rs 18.2 crore, almost entirely as salary. His pay jumped 48% in FY26. The company also posted its highest-ever commercial vehicle sales, beating its previous record from FY19.

    Sona Comstar CEO Vivek Vikram Singh took home Rs 15 crore in FY26, nearly four times his pay a year earlier. A third of his pay came from performance-linked stock awards. When China restricted exports of rare-earth magnets, a key input for electric vehicle motors, Singh’s team redesigned Sona Comstar’s traction motors in just four weeks without missing customer commitments. He also helped plug a Rs 300 crore revenue gap after a major customer’s new model underperformed, bringing in 31 new programmes and three new customers.

    Bank CEOs earn a smaller piece of net profits

    CEO remuneration at the country’s top banks was less than 0.05% of their FY26 profits. For ICICI Bank’s CEO, the figure is higher when exercised stock options are included.

    HDFC Bank CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan took home Rs 15 crore, up more than 25% from the previous year.

    Sandeep Bakhshi, CEO of ICICI Bank, received Rs 10.6 crore. With stock awards exercised during the year, his total pay rose to Rs 39 crore.

    Axis Bank CEO Amitabh Chaudhry earned Rs 10.3 crore. Half of his pay was base salary, while 20% came from performance bonuses earned in previous years and paid out in FY26.

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    The Baseline
    14 Aug 2026
    Five Interesting Stocks Today - August 14, 2026

    Five Interesting Stocks Today - August 14, 2026

    By Trendlyne Analysis

    1. Kalpataru Projects International:

    Thisinfrastructure company surged 6% over two trading sessions following itsQ1FY27 results on August 11. Net profit jumped 46% YoY, driven by a favourable business mix that improved margins. However, revenue grew by only 4% as labour shortages due to state elections, supply disruptions in the Middle East, and weakness in the Brazil business and road projects weighed on growth.

    KPIL closed the quarter with arecord Rs 66,607 crore order book, providing around 2.5 years of revenue visibility. High-margin segments –Transmission & Distribution (T&D) and Buildings & Factories – make up 73% of this backlog, boosting future profitability. On T&D, MD Manish Mohnotsaid, “We expect a ramp-up in transmission lines and substation capacity to meet rising electricity demand and support the renewable energy effort.” Management values the T&D domestic market at up to Rs 1.3 lakh crore annually over the next five years, which helps back their FY27 order inflow target of Rs 30,000 crore.

    The company wants to win larger, more complex contracts, and has been ramping up its capability to compete in this space. This opens doors to high-moat sectors like data centres, airports, underground metros, and High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) projects. Around Rs 3,000 crore ofcapex over the past four years has focused on strengthening KPIL’s execution capacity. The companyplans an additional Rs 800 crore of capex in FY27, and is setting up a rolling mill in Raipur to process more steel inputs in-house.

    International markets offer further growth. KPIL is bidding for up to $500 million oil and gas projects in the Middle East, and recently secured its first water-treatment order there worth Rs 344 crore. Conversely, it haspaused domestic water project bids to resolve over Rs 1,500 crore in outstanding payments. While regional conflicts and volatile commodity prices pose risks, management believes project reserves can absorb moderate cost increases.

    Post results, Motilal Oswalkept its 'Buy' rating, citing KPIL’s sharp debt reduction and improving earnings outlook. Net debt more than halved YoY, allowing it to fund future projects without straining its finances. Analysts expect net profit to grow at a CAGR of 18% between FY27-29. 

    2. Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX):

    This commodity exchange surged 10% over the past week after SEBI proposed allowing foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to trade physically settled non-agricultural commodity derivatives on domestic exchanges. 

    Currently, FPIs can only trade eligible, cash-settled non-agricultural contracts, so the proposal could open up bullion and base-metal contracts to a wider set of global investors. SEBI expects the move to improve liquidity and price discovery.

    FPIs account for only around 2.5% of MCX's average daily turnover right now, with the exchange adding 35 FPIs in Q1 to take the total base to around 220. This leaves room for participation to increase if the proposal takes effect. Following the proposal, UBS upgraded the stock to 'Buy' with a target price of Rs 3,800, citing the recent correction, strong Q1 volumes and the potential for higher FPI participation.

    The regulatory catalyst comes as MCX is already benefiting from a sharp rise in trading activity. Revenue from operations rose 88% YoY in Q1FY27, while net profit doubled. Option derivatives now account for 75% of fee income. Traded clients rose to 13.7 lakh as retail and institutional participation broadened. MCX retained more than 99% of the commodity futures market, with gold and silver making up about 77% of futures turnover.

    MCX is also broadening its product base to bring more participants onto the platform. MD & CEO Praveena Rai said, “Indices are a primary focus across bullion, metals and commodities, with multiple launches planned over the coming months.” Silver 100 Gram Futures and 10-gram gold contracts are gaining traction, while electricity derivatives are seeing higher participation and open interest. The exchange has also incorporated the Coal Exchange of India and is working on new metal and commodity index contracts. 

    Data services offer another longer-term monetisation opportunity. More than 50 AMCs have adopted MCX bullion prices for ETF and NAV valuation, while the exchange is working to widen adoption and launch new data products. MCX continues to invest in technology to support higher volumes, with processing capacity now above three billion transactions a day. The key risk remains a normalisation in volatility, which can weigh on trading activity.

    3. Titan Company: 

    Thisjewellery company rose 3% on Monday after itsQ1FY27 net profit beatForecaster estimates by 34.5%. Addressing concerns over the impact of the government’s announcements in May, Arun Narayan, CEO of Titan’s Jewellery division,said customers who postponed their jewellery purchases in May largely came back in June. Prime Minister Modi had urged Indians to postpone gold purchases to conserve foreign exchange reserves.

    Titan’s revenue grew 29.3% YoY to Rs 21,502 crore, led by jewellery, watches and eye care, while lower bullion and digital-gold sales partly offset that growth. Net profit jumped 62.9%, thanks to higher jewellery profits and a Rs 407 crore gain from higher realisations on existing inventory following the customs duty hike. 

    CFO Ashok Sonthalia cautioned against treating the gain as sustainable, saying, “We don’t want to take credit because at some point when these duties go down, we will have the opposite situation.”

    Jewellery remained the main growth engine, with domestic sales rising 38%. Tanishq, Mia and Zoya recorded strong growth, with sales at existing stores rising 33%. While buyer growth was modest, the average spend per buyer rose 31% as higher gold prices lifted purchase values. 

    Demand for premium analogue watches also supported growth, with revenue from Watches and EyeCare growing about 21%. Women’s Bags delivered strong double-digit growth, supported by store expansion and rising e-commerce penetration.

    While the management flagged softness in plain gold towards the end of July, buyer growth in studded jewellery has been picking up. The company expects its jewellery margin to stay around 11%. MD and CEO Ajoy Chawla said, “If gold prices remain subdued, a better product mix and higher-value jewellery could support margins.” 

    Motilal Oswalreiterated its ‘Buy’ rating on the stock with a higher target price of Rs 6,000. The brokerage sees sales growing at a CAGR of 18% through FY28. It expects Titan to benefit from the shift towards organised jewellery buying, with its exchange programme offering another way to attract customers and gain market share. 

    4. PI Industries:

    The stock of this agrochemicals company fell 10.9% over the past week after it reported weak June-quarter results. Q1FY27 revenue fell 11.1% YoY to Rs 1,766.4 crore due to weak demand across both agrochemical and pharma divisions. Profits took an even deeper hit, plunging 38.9% to Rs 244.2 crore as inventory and other expenses climbed. Ultimately, net profit missed Trendlyne's Forecaster estimates by 19.5%, driven down by shrinking export volumes. The stock features in a screener of companies with declining cash flow from operations over the last two years.

    Management attributed the decline in export volumes to an ongoing global agrochemical slump, weak crop prices, and delayed delivery schedules from clients. Even though monsoon rains picked up sharply in July, moving from a 36.4% deficit at the end of June to a 1% surplus by July-end, domestic agrochemical sales still lagged behind last year's figures. Industry experts suggest this slowdown happened because farmers had already stocked up early or reduced planted acreage for certain crops at the start of the season.

    Despite weak global crop-protection demand, the company’s domestic agribusiness delivered 12% volume growth and 3% revenue growth. It continued to invest through the weak phase, strengthening its complex-chemistry and innovation capabilities. PI Industries launched a first-of-its-kind biological nematicide (pest-control product) in Brazil, Mexico and the US. Management reported positive feedback from Brazil and estimates the country’s total addressable market at around $750 million. It expects low-single-digit revenue growth and an EBITDA margin of around 24% in FY27.

    Deven Choksey retained its ‘Accumulate’ rating on the stock with a target price of Rs 2,833. The brokerage expects PI Industries to remain in a transition phase through FY27, with the pace of recovery in global agrochemical and custom synthesis and manufacturing (CSM) demand key to earnings momentum. It adds that the FY27 capex guidance of Rs 700-800 crore gives the company sufficient flexibility to continue investing through the downturn.

    5. Hero MotoCorp: 

    This two-wheeler firm’s stock surged 6.4% over four sessions after reporting Q1FY27 results on August 7. Revenue jumped 35.4% YoY and beat Forecaster estimates, led by demand across scooters, motorcycles, and exports. Net profit also beat estimates despite falling 17.2%. A richer product mix, price hikes, and lower promotional spending helped offset higher raw material and employee costs. 

    Lower GST rates boosted two-wheeler demand, especially across rural markets. This tax cut benefited price-sensitive entry-level commuter motorcycles, a segment where Hero dominates the industry. The EV business also gained traction, pushing market share to around 11%. Exports grew 63% as the company doubled its global footprint over the past two years. 

    Management expects the two-wheeler industry to deliver double-digit growth in FY27, creating room for volume gains. Hero is also adding capacity to meet the expected increase in demand. The company is planning a Rs 1,500 crore capex as it aims to double monthly ICE scooter capacity to 1.3 lakh units by the end of this fiscal year. They are also increasing EV capacity by 50% to 45,000 units. 

    CFO Vivek Anand maintained his margin guidance, despite EBITDA margin falling 110 bps to 13.3%. “We are optimistic of achieving our medium-term EBITDA margin guidance of 14-16%,” he said, adding that this will be achieved through ongoing cost-cutting initiatives. However, he warned that reaching this target will be challenging in the near-term due to persistent inflation. 

    Following the results, Motilal Oswal retained a ‘Buy’ rating with a higher target price of Rs 6,560, implying a 13.3% upside. The brokerage believes growing scooter market share, strong overall sales, and a diverse export footprint will drive revenue visibility. Analysts expect the firm to deliver annual revenue and net profit growth of 9-10% through FY28.

    Trendlyne's analysts identify stocks that are seeing interesting price movements, analyst calls, or new developments. These are not buy recommendations.

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    The Baseline
    14 Aug 2026
    Five stocks to buy from analysts this week - August 14, 2026

    Five stocks to buy from analysts this week - August 14, 2026

    By Abdullah Shah

    1. ASK Automotive:

    ICICI Securities maintains its ‘Buy’ call on this auto parts & equipment manufacturer, with a higher target price of Rs 750, an upside of 15.9%. ASK delivered a stellar Q1FY27 performance as revenue jumped 52.1% YoY and net profit climbed 28.8%. Analysts Ronak Mehta and Vivek Kumar attribute this surge to market share gains in the aluminium lightweighting precision segment, recovering exports, and pricing adjustments that passed on raw material costs.

    The company continues to outperform the two-wheeler sector. It is capturing higher kit values as the industry shifts toward electric vehicles, expanding its passenger vehicle presence, and winning new client contracts. Thanks to strong export orders, management raised its FY27 revenue growth guidance from mid-teens to high-teens. Near-term industry tailwinds like GST rate cuts, favourable monsoon trends, and commission payouts should improve fuel demand.

    Mehta and Kumar expect EBITDA margins to reach management's target of 13–14%. Key profit drivers include shutting down the low-margin wheel assembly business and boosting productivity at the Rajasthan plant. They project ASK to deliver revenue and net profit CAGRs of 17.4% and 21.4%, respectively, through FY29.

    2. Aurobindo Pharma: 

    Motilal Oswal retains its ‘Buy’ rating on this pharma major, with a higher target price of Rs 1,860, implying an upside of 14%. Aurobindo posted impressive Q1FY27 results. Revenue rose 18.1% YoY, led by robust sales in European, US, and anti-retroviral formulation markets. Net profit surged 25.2%, thanks to an improved product mix and wider margins in Europe and complex formulations.

    Analysts Tushar Manudhane and Eshita Jain highlight the biosimilars & biologics segment as a powerful long-term growth driver. Commercial launches, expanding global partnerships, higher capacity, and entry into regulated markets should propel this division beyond traditional generics. Management is also raising capacity for contract manufacturing, expecting this business to scale rapidly by FY29.

    Manudhane and Eshita point out that the acquisition of generics manufacturer Lannett gives Aurobindo a US manufacturing facility. This deal opens new avenues in controlled substances and government contracts while leveraging Lannett's existing industry partnerships. Management reaffirmed its FY27 guidance for double-digit revenue improvement and EBITDA margins above 21%. Consequently, analysts project revenue and net profit to grow at CAGRs of 15% and 21%, respectively, over FY27–28.

    3. Rainbow Childrens Medicare: 

    Anand Rathi maintains its ‘Buy’ rating on this hospital operator and raises its target price to Rs 1,750, implying an upside of around 23.5%. Rainbow posted good Q1FY27 results, with revenue up 33% YoY. Strong patient volumes from rising inpatient discharges, outpatient visits, and childbirths, alongside the rapid ramp-up of new hospitals, pushed performance higher.

    Analysts Himanshu Binani and Anubhav Sangal emphasise that Rainbow is expanding into new regions while strengthening its footprint in core markets. The company plans to enter Mumbai with a 100-bed hospital in Malad, while adding capacity in Nellore and Guntur. It will open its Indore hospital in Q3, with four more facilities planned over the coming years. This expansion will boost total bed capacity from 2,565 to nearly 3,725.

    Binani and Sangal believe Rainbow's focus on pediatric and maternity care grants it an edge in India’s underdeveloped healthcare market. Ramp-ups at newer hospitals, steady output at mature facilities, and planned capacity additions will drive near-term revenue growth. Analysts project revenue and EBITDA to expand at CAGRs of 19% and 21% between FY27-28.

    4. Subros:

    Khambatta Securities maintains its ‘Buy’ rating on this small-cap auto components manufacturer, with a target price of Rs 897, an upside of 17.8%. Subros’ revenue jumped 17.5% YoY in Q1FY27, driven by strong sales volumes and recent product launches. However, surging raw material, transport, and employee costs reduced EBITDA margins by 151 basis points.

    Management anticipates that the rise in FY27 revenue will mirror the broader auto industry's single-digit pace. A margin rebound may take time, as the company negotiates price hikes with clients while cutting internal costs. Meanwhile, analysts note that mandatory AC rules for trucks should help Subros increase its truck air-conditioning revenue from Rs 260 crore in FY26 to Rs 300 crore in FY27.

    Analysts expect new ventures and capacity expansion to drive long-term growth. The company plans to start production at the new Haryana plant in Q3 to support Maruti Suzuki's Sonipat expansion. Another facility in Gujarat will manufacture electric and conventional compressors. Subros is also partnering with DENSO and Toyota Industries to localise electric compressor production by FY28, aiming to cut imports and boost margins.

    5. Sonata Software: 

    Deven Choksey reiterates its ‘Buy’ rating on this IT services company, with a target price of Rs 372, an upside of 14.3%. Sonata is benefiting from rising demand as it shifts toward AI-driven technology services. Its AI order book grew 27% QoQ, while potential AI deal values rose 21%. The company also added seven new clients for the third consecutive quarter. However, heavy investments and lower billable employee utilisation squeezed Q1FY27 margins.

    Management expects revenue and margins to rebound as recently won large contracts ramp up. Most of these projects will reach full scale during Q2, supporting stronger H2FY27 performance. Analyst Neel Mehta believes the continued expansion of Harmoni.AI, its proprietary platform that automates software development and business processes, should bring future growth. A recent partnership with Microsoft should also unlock new opportunities across AI, cloud, and data services.

    Mehta anticipates domestic expansion to stem from Sonata's $340 million AI deal pipeline, expanding large contracts, and improved employee utilisation. He also notes that the domestic India business could drive growth through recurring cloud revenues and managed services.

    Note: These recommendations are from various analysts and are not recommendations by Trendlyne.

    (You can find all analyst picks here)

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    The Baseline
    12 Aug 2026
    India has jobs. So why are young people angry?

    India has jobs. So why are young people angry?

    India's cockroaches are getting organized.

    It all began with an insult. After the Chief Justice of India was reported as describing unemployed youth as “parasites” and “cockroaches,” 30-year-old Abhijeet Dipke decided to embrace the word. He formed the satirical Cockroach Janata Party and asked a question online: What if all the cockroaches came together?

    They came together at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar last month, as young people gathered to protest the NEET paper leak and the broader crisis around jobs. The protests ended with the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

    Now, students in Jharkhand have taken to the streets over alleged irregularities in state recruitment exams.

    The stakes are high. The last time Jharkhand held its exam, more than three lakh candidates showed up for 2,017 vacancies. That’s around 150 people fighting for every seat.

    The problem goes well beyond just one exam: nearly 40% of young Indians who are graduates, don't have jobs. Graduates now make up around two-thirds of the country’s unemployed youth. For 23 year old NEET aspirant Pradeep Kumar, becoming a doctor was supposed to be a ticket to a better life for his farming family in rural Rajasthan. He refused to buy a mobile phone while preparing for the exam.

    “I’ll buy one after I’m selected,” he told his father. “Phones distract me.”

    For millions of young Indians like Pradeep, education is the bridge between where they are, and their future. But what happens when you cross that bridge and the job you want is not there on the other side?

    Let’s dive in.

    India is creating jobs. So why are young people protesting?

    On paper, India does not have an unemployment problem. The latest Periodic Labour Force Survey puts the overall unemployment rate at just 3.1% in 2025. So why are young Indians still taking to the streets?

    The problem is not in that headline number.  80 lakh young people enter India’s workforce every year, but the opportunities they see are very different from what they are looking for. Agriculture still employs 43% of all workers, followed by trade, hotels and restaurants at 12.9%. Manufacturing and construction make up the rest.

    India has spent years trying to turn manufacturing into a job-creation engine, but it still employs roughly the same share of Indians today as it did in 2018.

    More than half of Indian workers are self-employed, and another fifth are casual labourers. The kind of job everyone wants, a formal job with a regular paycheck, goes to just one in four workers. 

    As former Indian government economist Santosh Mehrotra says, “India is generating jobs; it’s just not generating them in large enough numbers, and it’s not generating quality jobs.” That difference between "jobs" versus "good jobs" is where things get difficult for India’s graduates.

    A degree was supposed to get you through the door...

    ...but the door handle feels stuck. 

    We place enormous value on education. In India, a degree is a qualification, a status symbol, a family achievement, a promise of upward mobility. And more Indians than ever are getting a degree. By 2023, 28% of Indian youth were graduates, up from just 10% in 2004.

    But India’s education system does not put enough emphasis on the skills students actually need to get hired. As a result, millions of “qualified” graduates enter the job market every year, but often lack the skills employers want.

    A study found that the share of graduates among unemployed youth has more than doubled over the past two decades. At the same time, another study in 2025 found that 80% of Indian employers are struggling to find the right talent.

    So India has a strange paradox, where too many educated people looking for work, even as too many employers are looking for people with the right skills.

    The government has tried to fix this through various skill-development initiatives, but a certificate alone doesn't magically turn someone into a great software engineer or energy specialist. Sandeep Gulati, Managing Director of ManpowerGroup, says industries such as IT, energy and utilities are already feeling the squeeze. This skills gap could get worse as technology changes faster than college curricula can keep up.

    “India has an opportunity to position itself as a global AI talent hub. But the challenge is in reskilling and upskilling the talent pool,” says Bain's Saikat Banerjee.

    The new jobs are coming, but they don't look like the old jobs

    For almost two decades, the IT industry was a big escalator for fresh graduates, helping them enter the workforce and turning them into tech professionals. But after hiring activity peaked in 2022, the industry no longer absorbs graduates at the scale it once did.

    In the second half of 2026, IT "hiring intent" for freshers fell to 76% from 81%, according to TeamLease EdTech’s latest Career Outlook Report. TCS plans to make around 25,000 campus hires in FY27, well below its earlier run rate of over 40,000, while Infosys is expected to hire around 20,000.

    Infosys CEO Salil Parekh says campus hiring has become more selective, with a greater focus on AI-native skills.

    There are some bright spots. Global capability centres (GCCs) are filling the gap. They hire around 4.5 lakh people every year and are on track to employ 33 lakh people by 2030. But hiring in this space is skewed towards experienced candidates.

    Some of India’s newest industries however, are promising jobs on a much larger scale. Take electric vehicles. Rising EV adoption is expected to create 3–4 crore jobs by 2030, with demand spanning engineering, energy systems and battery technology.

    “With states implementing EV policies, India’s EV story is shifting from incentive-driven adoption to industrial-scale hiring,” said Adecco India Director Deepesh Gupta.

    Cybersecurity is another segment seeing rising demand for professionals with AI specialisation. Firms are reportedly willing to pay a 30-40% salary premium for such talent.

    TeamLease EdTech says the hiring outlook for India’s freshers is set to improve during the second half of this year. Overall hiring intent increased by 2 percentage points from the first half of 2026 to 75%. Retail, e-commerce & tech startups, along with manufacturing, are driving demand for entry-level talent.

    India has millions of young people with degrees, ambition and increasingly, very little patience. It also has an economy racing into AI, EVs, cybersecurity, GCCs and new industries that need an entirely different mix of skills. Bridging that gap will be one of India's biggest economic challenges of the next decade.

    In the meantime, the cockroaches are getting restless.

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    The Baseline
    07 Aug 2026
    Five Interesting Stocks Today - August 7, 2026

    Five Interesting Stocks Today - August 7, 2026

    By Trendlyne Analysis

    1.KEI Industries:

    Thiswires and cables (W&C) maker surged 17% over the past week after reporting Q1FY27 results. Revenue rose 22% YoY, driven by strong domestic demand, though it marginally missed Forecaster estimates due to weaker exports. Net profit jumped 40%, beating estimates by 13%, helped by a better product mix, a higher share of retail sales and operating leverage. The stock appears in ascreener of companies reporting YoY profit growth with improving margins.

    Domestic sales accounted for over 90% of revenue and grew by around 30% inQ1, driven by strong demand for wires and cables. KEI holds over 12% share of the organised market and commands a quarter of the complex extra-high-voltage (EHV) cable segment. Sales through higher-margin retail channels now account for about 60% of the wires and cables business. This helped the company deliver an industry-leading EBITDA margin of over 13%.

    Exportsdeclined 7.3% due to shipment disruptions in the Middle East and customs-related issues in the US. Management expects this to reverse over the rest of the year, with exports targeted to contribute 17-18% of revenue as shipments normalise and the US market reopens. The company ended the quarter with an order book of Rs 4,292 crore, including export orders worth Rs 822 crore.

    Looking ahead, Chairman & Managing Director Anil Guptasaid, “Based on the strong demand in domestic and overseas markets, we are hopeful to grow more than 20% in the next two to three years.” To support this, the company plans annual capex of Rs 600-700 crore over the next three to four years. The investment includes a Rs 700 crore expansion at its Rajasthan facility for low- and medium-voltage cables. It is also ramping up the new Sanand plant, which is expected to generate up to Rs 2,000 crore in revenue this year and more than Rs 6,000 crore within the next two years as utilisation improves.

    Motilal Oswalmaintains a ‘Buy’ rating on the stock, with a higher target price of Rs 6,630. The brokerage remains positive given the strong execution, industry tailwinds and an improving margin profile. They see the company well-positioned to capture a structural growth opportunity in the W&C industry.

    2.Divi’s Laboratories:

    This pharma company surged 6.6% on August 3 after its Q1FY27 revenue and net profit beat Forecaster estimates by 11.6% and 43.3%, respectively. Strong growth in the high-margin custom synthesis division, which produces specialised ingredients for drug companies, drove this performance.

    The custom synthesis segment generated 60% of total revenue and expanded after the company distributed validation supplies. These are small initial batches that customers use to test Divi’s manufacturing process and complete regulatory filings.

    Future growth depends on converting these validation-stage programmes into commercial orders. Divi’s has invested around Rs 2,000 crore in three dedicated facilities. Kiran Divi, CEO, said, “The validations have been completed, and we would be going commercial as and when the qualifications with the agencies are completed.” 

    Divi’s is also expanding its peptide-manufacturing business. Drugmakers use peptides, short chains of amino acids, as active ingredients in complex medicines. The company produces key raw materials used in peptide manufacturing in-house. This reduces dependence on external suppliers and improves control over costs and delivery schedules.

    Management expects double-digit revenue growth for FY27. New custom synthesis deals, expanded peptide production, contrast media products and generic drug launches will drive this success.

    Despite shipping disruptions in the Middle East that drove up both freight rates and raw material costs, Divi has avoided production bottlenecks. The company managed these supply-chain risks by keeping a three-month inventory buffer, diversifying its supplier base and sourcing more materials domestically. This strategy increased working-capital requirements but helped reduce production and shipment disruptions.

    Following the results, Citi maintained its 'Buy' rating and raised its target price to Rs 11,700 from Rs 9,450. It also retained Divi’s as its top pick in the Indian pharma sector. Citi expects the new programmes to boost earnings, though regulatory delays, inconsistent shipments and generic pricing pressure remain key risks.

    3. DLF:

    The stock of this realty company fell 2% over the past week after reporting weak June quarter results. Q1FY27 revenue declined 46.1% YoY to Rs 180.5 crore, with a sharp 94% drop in pre-sales to Rs 660 crore. Revenue came in 32.9% below Trendlyne Forecaster estimates due to delays in project rollouts. On the positive side, net profit edged up 4.1% to Rs 793.1 crore, driven by growth in office rentals and leasing demand. The stock features on a screener of companies in which mutual funds increased their shareholding over the past month.

    Management said that delays in receiving regulatory approvals and the postponement of senior living project launches weighed on early pre-sales. Despite this, they are confident of achieving the full-year booking target of Rs 20,000 crore as new projects enter the market later this year. The Hamilton and Arbour 2 senior living projects in Gurugram are set to launch in the second half of FY27, while the next phase of its luxury project, Privana, is slated for early CY27.

    Looking at the long game, DLF aims to expand its total operational footprint to roughly 76 million square feet (msf) by FY30, splitting that space into around 64 msf for offices and 12 msf for retail. The developer has set aside Rs 20,000 crore in capital spending through FY30 to fund this plan, and is directing ~Rs 12,000 crore straight into its commercial joint venture, DLF Cyber City Developers. With office rentals climbing around 9% during the quarter, management remains upbeat, projecting exit rentals to reach between Rs 7,300-7,500 crore for FY27 thanks to resilient domestic tenant demand.

    Motilal Oswal retained its ‘Buy’ rating on the stock, though it trimmed its target price to Rs 755. The brokerage highlighted DLF’s medium-term launch pipeline worth Rs 60,200 crore and Rs 12,400 crore of balance inventory in existing projects as support for near-term pre-sales. Factoring in the rollout schedule, analysts expect pre-sales to grow at a modest 2% CAGR, reaching Rs 20,900 crore over FY27-28.

    4.APL Apollo Tubes:

    This steel producer rose 6.7% on Monday after its Q1FY27 revenue beat Forecaster estimates by 8.4%. Chairman and Managing Director Sanjay Gupta also maintained the company's guidance for more than 20% EBITDA growth in FY27.

    APL Apollo Tubes reported an 8.5% YoY rise in revenue to Rs 5,607 crore, driven by higher realisations. Net profit grew 11%, thanks to better pricing and operating margins.

    Sales volumes fell 6% due to supply chain disruptions in the UAE. Demand for the company's SG Premium products softened as rising input costs made them more expensive than the competition. Power shortages also disrupted production of rust-proof pipes and roofing products.

    Sanjay Gupta said, “Demand itself doesn't fluctuate much. It's dealers cutting and rebuilding inventory that causes the bigger swings in our sales.” He maintained the company's guidance of 15-20% volume growth this year and expects volumes to improve over the next two months as dealers resume purchases and UAE operations return to normal.

    The company is also shifting its product mix towards higher-value products to reduce the impact of steel price swings on earnings. The upcoming Malur plant will play a key role by manufacturing only higher-value products and increasing their share of sales to nearly 80%. Annual capacity is on track to expand by 60% to 8 million tonnes by next year.

    Motilal Oswal reiterated its 'Buy' rating on the stock with a target price of Rs 2,240. The brokerage said rising use of structural steel tubes in housing, infrastructure, solar projects and data centres could expand APL Apollo's addressable market. It forecasts net profit growing at a CAGR of 21% through FY28.

    5.MTAR Technologies: 

    This aerospace and defence manufacturer's stock surged 29.9% last week after securing an additional $85.9 million export order on July 30, pushing the total contract value from this client to $324.6 million. MTAR also reported robust Q1FY27 results.

    Revenue climbed 134.5% YoY, beating Forecaster estimates, amid strong execution across the clean energy, aerospace, defence, and nuclear segments. On the other hand, a better product mix and higher factory utilisation helped net profit soar 4.6x. The clean energy division (61% of revenue) led the performance. Rising power demand, global energy transition, and expanding data centre networks fueled this segment.

    The civil nuclear segment contributed just 1% to revenue and declined slightly, as the company scheduled project executions for H2FY27. However, this division is entering a ramp-up phase after securing its largest nuclear order. The segment has high potential for expansion, with the Government of India also targeting 100 gigawatts of nuclear power by 2047. MTAR also recorded its highest order inflow of Rs 2,895 crore, taking the order book to Rs 5,140 crore, already surpassing FY27 guidance.

    Poised by the extensive order book and Q1 performance, Managing Director Srinivas Reddy highlighted a healthy outlook: “We reiterate our guidance of 80% revenue growth for FY27 with an EBITDA margin of 24% (from 23.6% in Q1).” 

    Management expects aerospace and defence revenue to double in FY27. The segment has entered a high-volume growth phase as several products moved from initial approvals to full-scale commercial production. The company adds that orders from global clients, domestic defence contracts, and high demand for specialised aircraft parts will drive this surge. 

    Following the results, Motilal Oswal retained a ‘Buy’ rating on MTAR with a target price of Rs 7,550. The brokerage sees revenue visibility, driven by a swelling order book, fuel-cell capacity expansion, scaling aerospace operations, and a booming data centre business. Analysts project revenue CAGR of 78% and net profit CAGR of 118% through FY28.

    Trendlyne's analysts identify stocks that are seeing interesting price movements, analyst calls, or new developments. These are not buy recommendations.

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    The Baseline
    07 Aug 2026
    The ten winners: These companies are outperforming their industries to grab market share

    The ten winners: These companies are outperforming their industries to grab market share

    When the results season comes around, the hype cycle kicks in for headline writers. Drawing eyeballs means talking about that company that delivered profits of 100X over the previous year. But rather than the outliers that are growing on a low base, true value, I would argue, lies in the reasonably sized players that are beating their industries, and growing their topline revenue and bottomline profit faster than their peers.

    Industry outperformers are a shortcut to identifying companies that have a unique DNA, since these businesses are proving that they can overcome the forces limiting their competitors. 

    Out of the companies that announced results this quarter, we identified ten winners that are outperforming, and taking market share from their peers.

    Indian IT: Companies targeting enterprise cloud and AI budgets are winning

    The IT sector saw average revenue growth at a modest 15.3%. The big bumper years of the early 2000s for software services, look long gone. But even as the easy money has ended, some software players have delivered double digit outperformance by targeting enterprise cloud and AI migration efforts. Top banking companies globally are busy migrating their legacy core systems to cloud-native SaaS, and Oracle Financial Services grew sharply in this space from software licensing.

    Coforge was another winner this quarter. The company landed large deals in travel, healthcare and finance. Their executable order book reached a record $2.2 billion, with strong margins. 

    Another winning theme is in domestic infrastructure. India's massive power grid investments, and its domestic electronics manufacturing effort are creating compounding growth stories.

    Hitachi Energy is riding on India's once in a lifetime power sector opportunity. For Hitachi, India's ambitious power grid and power infrastructure buildout has created a record Rs. 29.500 crore order backlog. 

    The much talked about electronics story has two winners this year. Dixon Technologies gained mobile market share despite industry-wide handset volume slowdowns. It is also accelerating backward integration into display and camera modules.

    And Syrma SGS has outpaced the electrical manufacturing industry through high-margin ODM (Original Design Manufacturing) export contracts in EV electronics and medical devices.

    A margin recovery in chemicals, for two players

    Capex spending has been the dominant story for chemicals players over the last few years, as they invested heavily in new plant capacity. Now, the management of Deepak Nitrite and Aarti Industries both noted that this is paying off in commercial production. The long game has helped both thes companies: while the broader chemical sector struggled with low global pricing and inventory destocking, and industry average profits were down -7.6%, these market leaders leveraged integration to deliver massive profit turnarounds.

    Deepak Nitrite has been winning market share domestically, while Aarti Industries has landed multi year global contracts in nitric acid and benzene derivatives. 

    Young, rapidly growing markets are boosting JioFin, MCX and Ather

    Jio Financial Services is rolling out digital consumer lending and merchant financing at a rapid clip, to take advantage of the capital hungry Indian consumer and entrepreneur. Commodities exchange MCX got a boost from a client base that doubled year on year, and rising transaction fee revenues. 

    The last company on the list is the new kid on the block, Ather Energy. The company is drawing a lot of attention as it surpassed two-wheeler industry growth by locking in market share in the premium EV segment. The company is a sharp contrast to Ola Electric in its focus on execution. It has been expanding its distribution hubs, and localizing battery pack manufacturing as it works to cement its market share gains.

    The performance of these kinds of players validate investors who like to bet on individual businesses rather than on a buzzy industry space. Whether it is electric vehicles, electronics assembly, or relatively old school spaces like chemicals, management quality, strategic pivots and the good old approach of building the client book, never go out of fashion.

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