Nifty 50 closed at 23,031.40 (-13.9, -0.1%), BSE Sensex closed at 76,138.97 (-32.1, 0.0%) while the broader Nifty 500 closed at 20,904.35 (-3.5, 0.0%). Market breadth is in the red. Of the 2,405 stocks traded today, 1,089 were on the uptick, and 1,281 were down.
Indian indices closed flat, with the benchmark Nifty 50 index closing at 23,560 after switching between gains and losses. The Indian volatility index, Nifty VIX, fell 3.5% and closed at 13.7 points. Hindustan Aeronautics closed 1.9% higher as its Q3FY25 net profit grew 14.1% YoY to Rs 1,439.8 crore, beating the Forecaster estimates by 2.5%.
Nifty Smallcap 100 closed in the red, while Nifty Midcap 100 closed in the green. Nifty Pharma and BSE Metal were the best-performing indices of the day. According to Trendlyne’s sector dashboard, Diversified emerged as the highest-performing sector of the day, with a rise of 2.3%.
European indices are trading in the green, except the UK’s FTSE 100 and the Netherlands’ AEX index, which are trading 0.9% and 0.6% higher, respectively. Major Asian indices closed mixed. US index futures are trading mixed amid concerns of rising inflation. Applied Materials, Unilever, Sony Group Corp, Deere & Co, Palo Alto Networks, Moody’s Corp, and Duke Energy Corp are set to report their earnings later today.
Muthoot Finance sees a long buildup in its February 27 futures series, with open interest increasing by 19.8% and a put-call ratio of 0.5.
Hindustan Aeronautics is rising as its Q3FY25 net profit grows 14.1% YoY to Rs 1,439.8 crore, beating the Forecaster estimates by 2.5%. Revenue increases 14.8% YoY to Rs 6,957.3 crore during the quarter, while its EBITDA margin increases marginally by 50 bps. The company features in a screener of stocks where FII / FPI or institutions are increasing their shareholding.
Ipca Laboratories rises sharply as its Q3FY25 net profit grows 37.9% YoY to Rs 248.1 crore, driven by lower raw materials and finance costs. Revenue increases 9.2% YoY to Rs 2,265.5 crore, helped by an improvement in the domestic business. It features in a screener of stocks with consistently high returns over the past five years.
IOL Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals is falling as its net profit declines 11.1% YoY to Rs 20.5 crore in Q3FY25 due to pricing pressure, stagnant demand, and intense market competition. Revenue decreases marginally YoY to Rs 523.3 crore during the quarter, driven by lower sales from the chemical and pharmaceutical segments. The company appears in a screener of stocks with declining ROE over the past two years.
Amish Shah, Head of India Research at BofA Securities, expects developed markets to outperform emerging markets, including India, this year. He notes that FPIs (Foreign portfolio investors) will continue to favour US equities and bonds. Shah adds that global investors usually target around 15% returns from emerging markets like India. However, with risk-free dollar returns at 4.5% and an anticipated 5% rupee depreciation, investors are guaranteed a 9% risk-free return.
Suven Pharmaceuticals rises sharply as its Q3FY25 net profit surges 77.3% YoY to Rs 82.9 crore, owing to inventory destocking and deferred tax returns of Rs 15.2 crore. Revenue grows 37.9% YoY to Rs 322.9 crore, attributed to improvements in the pharma contract development & manufacturing organization (CDMO) and active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) segments. It appears in a screener of stocks with increasing net profit for the past four quarters.
Tata Power Company is rising as its subsidiary, Tata Power Renewable Energy, signs a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) to explore joint opportunities in the battery energy storage system (BESS) value chain. This includes grid stabilisation, EV charging, renewable integration, and industrial storage solutions.
Entero Healthcare Solutions is falling as its net profit misses Forecaster estimates by 15.1% despite rising 2.8X YoY to Rs 25.4 crore in Q3FY25 due to lower finance cost and inventory destocking. Revenue increases 36.9% YoY to Rs 1,359 crore during the quarter, driven by high-margin products, better procurement, and cost efficiency. The company appears in a screener of stocks with zero promoter pledges.
Alexander George Muthoot, Managing Director of Muthoot Finance, highlights that Q3FY25 was a record-breaking quarter for the company. Cost of funds stood at 9% during the quarter. He adds that the company has diversified its borrowing and expects the net interest margin (NIM) to stay between 11-11.5%. He also emphasizes the company’s continued focus on the affordable housing finance segment.
Engineers India secures a Rs 106 crore project management consultancy (PMC) contract from Indian Oil Corp for phase-I of the Paradip Petrochemical Complex in Odisha. The contract covers project management for key process units, offsites, and utilities, set for completion in 10 months.
Godrej Industries rises sharply as its Q3FY25 net profit grows 76.9% YoY to Rs 188.2 crore owing to lower inventory costs. Revenue increases 33.9% YoY to Rs 5,146.9 crore, driven by improvements in the estate & property development, finance & investments, chemicals, animal feed, crop protection, and vegetable oils segments. It features in a screener of stocks where mutual funds increased their shareholding in the past quarter.
Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services is rising as its board of directors approves a fundraising of up to Rs 3,000 crore through the rights issue of equity shares.
Fitch Ratings expects Indian banks' net interest margins (NIMs) to drop by 10 basis points on average in 2025-26 due to RBI interest rate cuts, though the decline will be offset by eased liquidity conditions. The firm also notes that NBFCs may face NIM (net interest margins) pressures in areas where they compete with banks, like near-prime urban housing and commercial loans.
SKF India falls to its new 52-week low of Rs 3,643.1 as its net profit declines 17.1% YoY to Rs 109.5 crore in Q3FY25 due to higher material costs and employee benefit expenses. However, revenue increases 15% YoY to Rs 1,256.1 crore during the quarter. The company appears in a screener of stocks with declining profits every quarter for the past two quarters.
Godawari Power & Ispat is falling sharply as its net profit plunges 36.8% YoY to Rs 144.8 crore in Q3FY25 due to higher raw materials and employee benefits expenses. Revenue declines marginally by 0.7% YoY to Rs 1,316 crore, caused by lower production of iron ore and pellets. It appears in a screener of stocks with prices below short, medium, and long-term averages.
NTPC Green Energy's 50:50 JV, ONGC NTPC Green (ONGPL), signs a share purchase agreement to acquire Ayana Renewable Power for Rs 19,500 crore. The acquisition supports ONGPL’s strategy to expand its clean energy portfolio and India’s renewable energy transition.
SBI Cards and Payment Services rises over 5% as Macquarie upgrades the stock to an 'Outperform' rating with a higher target price of Rs 1,000. The brokerage believes the company's credit card delinquencies have decreased, showing it is making better lending choices. Over the past 12 months, the company offered credit to borrowers with better credit scores.
Endurance Technologies is rising as its net profit grows 21.1% YoY to Rs 184.4 crore in Q3FY25 due to lower purchases of traded goods. Revenue increases 11.6% YoY to Rs 2,859.2 crore during the quarter, driven by capacity gains and new business acquisitions in braking, suspensions, die casting, and alloy wheels segments. The company appears in a screener of stocks with increasing revenue every quarter for the past four quarters.
IIFL Finance is falling as its net profit declines 91.7% YoY to Rs 40.7 crore in Q3FY25 due to higher impairment on financial instruments, finance, and employee benefits expenses. Revenue falls 7.8% YoY to Rs 2,442.6 crore, caused by a reduction in net interest income. It shows up in a screener of low DVM stocks.
Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals is rising as its net profit grows 27.7% YoY to Rs 109.8 crore in Q3FY25 due to lower materials cost and inventory destocking. Revenue increases 4.5% YoY to Rs 1,769.2 crore during the quarter, driven by higher sales from the electric consumer durables and lighting products segments. The company appears in a screener of stocks outperforming their industry price change in the quarter.
India’s CPI inflation declines to a a five-month low of 4.3% in January from 5.2% in December, driven by easing food inflation and the RBI's rate cuts. Nomura expects weak domestic demand and ongoing deflation in manufacturing input costs to keep core inflation between 3.5-4% over the next year.
Bombay Burmah Trading Corp's Q3FY25 net profit declines 12.3% YoY to Rs 339 crore due to higher raw materials and depreciation & amortisation expenses. However, revenue grows 8.4% YoY to Rs 4,758.9 crore, driven by improvements in the tea plantations, auto electrical components, investments, healthcare, and food-bakery & dairy products segments. It appears in a screener of stocks with high market cap but lower public shareholding.
PTC India rises sharply as its Q3FY25 net profit jumps 62.9% YoY to Rs 152.9 crore, helped by lower impairment on financial instruments, employee benefits, finance costs, and income tax returns. However, revenue declines marginally by 0.3% YoY to Rs 3,425.3 crore due to a decline in the financing business offsetting a growth in the power segment. It features in a screener of affordable stocks with good Trendlyne valuation scores.
Natco Pharma is falling as its net profit declines 37.5% YoY to Rs 133 crore in Q3FY25. Revenue decreases 37.4% YoY to Rs 474.8 crore during the quarter due to lower contributions from the export formulation business. The company appears in a screener of stocks where mutual funds decreased their shareholding in the past quarter.
Bharat Forge falls to its new 52-week low of Rs 1,044.7 as its net profit declines 19.6% YoY to Rs 212.8 crore in Q3FY25. Revenue decreases 10.1% YoY to Rs 3,475.5 crore during the quarter amid weak demand conditions in Europe, impacting exports. The company appears in a screener of stocks underperforming their industry price change in the quarter.
Nifty 50 was trading at 23,080.45 (35.2, 0.2%), BSE Sensex was trading at 76,333.10 (162.0, 0.2%) while the broader Nifty 500 was trading at 20,964.05 (56.2, 0.3%).
Market breadth is surging up. Of the 1,941 stocks traded today, 1,296 showed gains, and 609 showed losses.
Riding High:
Largecap and midcap gainers today include Muthoot Finance Ltd. (2,317.80, 6.2%), SBI Cards and Payment Services Ltd. (859.85, 5.3%) and Ipca Laboratories Ltd. (1,490.90, 5.0%).
Downers:
Largecap and midcap losers today include Adani Enterprises Ltd. (2,244.70, -4.6%), UNO Minda Ltd. (946.85, -4.4%) and Varun Beverages Ltd. (513.40, -4.0%).
Crowd Puller Stocks
19 stocks in BSE 500 are trading on high volumes today.
Top high volume gainers on BSE included Finolex Cables Ltd. (998.55, 13.1%), Honasa Consumer Ltd. (230.79, 12.7%) and Suven Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (1,120.05, 6.9%).
Top high volume losers on BSE were Natco Pharma Ltd. (975.05, -20%), FDC Ltd. (410.15, -7.0%) and KIOCL Ltd. (279.70, -4%).
Godrej Industries Ltd. (824.90, 1.5%) was trading at 33.4 times of weekly average. Muthoot Finance Ltd. (2,317.80, 6.2%) and LMW Ltd. (14,990, 0.9%) were trading with volumes 9.3 and 9.1 times weekly average respectively on BSE at the time of posting this article.
BSE 500: highs, lows and moving averages
5 stocks made 52 week highs, while 25 stocks were underachievers and hit their 52 week lows.
Stocks touching their year highs included - Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. (1,964.75, 1.1%), Muthoot Finance Ltd. (2,317.80, 6.2%) and Redington Ltd. (244.55, 6.8%).
Stocks making new 52 weeks lows included - Astral Ltd. (1,370.70, -1.7%) and Bayer Cropscience Ltd. (4,369.05, -0.5%).
16 stocks climbed above their 200 day SMA including Ipca Laboratories Ltd. (1,490.90, 5.0%) and Mankind Pharma Ltd. (2,501.15, 3.2%). 10 stocks slipped below their 200 SMA including Godfrey Phillips India Ltd. (4,999.60, -8.5%) and Aegis Logistics Ltd. (736.75, -7.2%).