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Trendlyne Marketwatch
18 Aug 2025, 04:00PM
Market closes higher, Ahluwalia Contracts' net profit misses Forecaster estimates by 14% in Q1
By Trendlyne Analysis

 

Markets closed higher. Nifty 50 closed at 24,876.95 (245.7, 1%) , BSE Sensex closed at 81,273.75 (676.1, 0.8%) while the broader Nifty 500 closed at 22,931.50 (251.3, 1.1%). Market breadth is in the green. Of the 2,540 stocks traded today, 1,610 showed gains, and 878 showed losses.

Indian indices closed higher after PM Narendra Modi promised GST reforms before Diwali, US President Trump indicated reconsidering secondary tariffs on India and a credit rating upgrade by S&P Global. The Indian volatility index, Nifty VIX, fell 0.1% and closed at 12.3 points. JK Cement closed 4.3% in the green as its board approved a Rs 4,805 crore investment for a greenfield expansion project.

Nifty Smallcap 100 and Nifty Midcap 100 closed in the green, tracking the benchmark index. BSE Auto and Nifty Consumer Durables were among the best-performing indices of the day. According to Trendlyne’s sector dashboard, Automobiles & Auto Components emerged as the highest-performing sector of the day, with a rise of 4.4%.

European indices are trading lower, except Portugal’s PSI index, which is trading 1.2% higher. Major Asian indices closed mixed. US index futures are trading with varied trends, indicating a cautious start to the session as investors await the latest Federal Reserve decision on interest rates later this week. US President Trump to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington today to discuss a potential peace deal with Russia.

  • Relative strength index (RSI) indicates that stocks like Fortis Healthcare, HBL Power Systems, and Dr. Lal Pathlabs are in the overbought zone.

  • Jindal Worldwide is falling as its net profit declines 3.5% YoY to Rs 17.4 crore in Q1FY26 due to inventory buildup. However, revenue increases 9.6% YoY to Rs 539.9 crore, driven by an improvement in the textiles segment during the quarter. The company appears in a screener of stocks underperforming their industry price change over the past quarter.

  • Astral and Finolex Industries are rising after the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) recommends imposing anti-dumping duty on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin imports for five years. The move is likely to stabilise PVC resin prices and normalise inventories.

  • Ahluwalia Contracts’ Q1FY26 revenue rises 9.7% YoY to Rs 1,020.7 crore, driven by strong project execution. Net profit grows 67.6% YoY to Rs 51.2 crore. The company appears in a screener of stocks outperforming their industry price change over the past quarter.

  • State-run telecom operator Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL) reports a rise in loan defaults, with outstanding dues to public sector banks reaching Rs 8,659 crore as of July. This is up from Rs 8,584.9 crore in June, comprising Rs 7,794.3 crore in principal and Rs 790.6 crore in interest.

  • Axis Direct downgrades PI Industries to a 'Hold' call from 'Buy', with a lower target price of Rs 3,930 per share. This indicates a potential upside of 4.8%. The brokerage believes that the near-term industry challenges with tariff-related uncertainties and high inventory levels will limit revenue growth in FY26. It expects the firm's revenue to grow at a CAGR of 10.2% over FY26-27.

  • Borosil is rising as its net profit grows 87.4% YoY to Rs 17.4 crore, driven by growth in the non-glassware segment. Revenue rises 8% YoY to Rs 242.5 crore, helped by lower finance costs. The firm appears in a screener of stocks with zero promoter pledge.

  • Dilip Buildcon's joint venture (JV) with Ranjit Buildcon (RBL) secures a Rs 1,503.6 crore order from Gurugram Metro Rail (GMRL) to construct 14 elevated stations.

  • EV makers are securing resized local magnets or sourcing from countries like South Korea to offset China’s export curbs, ensuring smooth production ahead of the festive season. Ather Energy CEO Tarun Mehta says the company is exploring options such as partial motor assembly in China, using heavier rare-earth-free magnets, and adopting ferrite-based motor technology to reduce rare-earth dependence.

  • Ashok Leyland surges on expectations of GST rationalisation in the automobile segment. The government has reportedly proposed sharp rate cuts on entry-level two-wheelers, small cars, and hybrids, likely easing the burden for the middle class and boosting demand in the auto sector.

  • Jai Corp surges more than 15% as its Q1FY26 net profit jumps 7.6x YoY to Rs 104.3 crore, driven by lower inventory, finance and depreciation & amortisation expenses. Revenue grows 83.3% YoY to Rs 234.8 crore, owing to improvements in the plastic processing and real estate segments. It features in a screener of stocks with above-line growth and below-line valuations.

  • PNC Infratech secures an order from NHPC to set up a 300 megawatt (MW) inter-state transmission system and a 150 MW/600 megawatt-hour (MWh) energy storage system (ESS).

  • Challa Srishant, MD of CCL Products India, says the 50% US tariff on Brazil has led to sharp price fluctuations. He expects some volatility to continue until November, but emphasises that the company's Cost-Plus model limits the impact. Srishant adds that the new facilities are currently operating at 30% capacity, with a target to ramp this up to 70–80% over the next 2–3 years.

  • JK Cement's board approves an investment of Rs 4,805 crore for a greenfield expansion project. The project involves setting up a new cement clinkerisation unit of 4 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) and a cement grinding capacity of 3 MTPA at its Jaisalmer plant, Rajasthan.

  • EMS secures a Rs 104 crore letter of acceptance (LOA) from UP Jal Nigam for the Agra water supply project. The work involves engineering, design, and construction of a water treatment plant and an intake well-cum-pump house.

  • Knowledge Realty Trust's shares debut on the bourses at a 3% premium to the issue price of Rs 100. The Rs 4,800 crore IPO received bids for 12.5 times the total shares on offer.

  • Auto stocks like Maruti Suzuki India and Hyundai Motor India surge over 8% as the Indian government proposes reducing GST on small cars to 18% from 28%. The government plans its biggest tax overhaul since 2017, with consumer, auto, and insurance firms set to benefit as prices drop from October, post approval.

  • Alembic Pharma receives US FDA approval for its abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for tretinoin cream. The drug, used to treat acne vulgaris, had a market size of $94 million in June 2025, according to IQVIA.

  • KEC International is rising as it secures orders worth Rs 1,402 crore across its businesses. Its transmission & distribution (T&D) unit receives orders to supply transmission towers in the USA. In the cables segment, it secures orders to supply various types of cables and conductors in India and overseas markets.

  • Inox Wind's Q1FY26 revenue rises 32.6% YoY to Rs 862.5 crore, driven by strong project execution. Net profit doubles YoY to Rs 105.8 crore. The company appears in a screener of stocks where mutual funds have increased their shareholding in the past month.

  • Motilal Oswal notes that the second-generation GST reforms, aiming to reduce tax burden and boost consumption, propose a shift from four tax slabs to two (5% and 18%). The brokerage expects these changes to cut retail prices by 4-5% and increase consumption. It names consumer staples, autos, cement, hotels, retail, durables, logistics, quick commerce, and EMS sectors as likely beneficiaries.

  • Swan Energy is falling as its Q1FY26 net profit plunges 86.2% YoY to Rs 19.1 crore due to higher raw materials, inventory, employee benefits, and depreciation & amortisation expenses. However, revenue grows 9.5% YoY to Rs 1,272.1 crore, led by improvements in the textile and distribution & development segments. It shows up in a screener of stocks with high promoter pledges.

  • Zaggle Prepaid Ocean Services surges as its net profit grows 56% YoY to Rs 26.1 crore in Q1FY26, helped by lower finance costs. Revenue increases 31.6% YoY to Rs 332 crore, driven by new client acquisition and AI integration during the quarter. The company appears in a screener of stocks with improving book value per share over the past two years.

  • Vodafone Idea is rising as its Q1FY26 net loss beats Forecaster estimates by 3.4% despite expanding 2.7% YoY to Rs 6,608.1 crore due to higher license fees & spectrum usage, roaming & access, marketing, and finance costs. However, revenue grows 3.7% YoY to Rs 11,164.2 crore, driven by improvements in subscriber base and average revenue per user (ARPU). It features in a screener of stocks with improving net cash flow over the past two years.

  • Glenmark Pharma is falling as its net profit plunges 86.2% YoY to Rs 46.9 crore in Q1FY26. However, revenue increases marinally by 0.6% YoY to Rs 3,264.4 crore as gains in India and emerging markets were offset by declines in Europe and North America. The company appears in a screener of stocks with PE ratio higher than the Industry average.

  • Markets are up today morning. Nifty 50 was trading at 24,946.70 (315.4, 1.3%), BSE Sensex was trading at 81,315.79 (718.1, 0.9%) while the broader Nifty 500 was trading at 22,956.40 (276.2, 1.2%).

  • Market breadth is ticking up strongly. Of the 2,094 stocks traded today, 1,741 were gainers and 295 were losers.

Riding High:

Largecap and midcap gainers today include Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (14,068, 8.8%), Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (2,423.40, 8.2%) and Ashok Leyland Ltd. (131.76, 8.0%).

Downers:

Largecap and midcap losers today include Suzlon Energy Ltd. (58.07, -3.3%), Hitachi Energy India Ltd. (19,775, -3.0%) and Kalyan Jewellers India Ltd. (520.20, -2.5%).

Crowd Puller Stocks

55 stocks in BSE 500 are trading on high volumes today.

Top high volume gainers on BSE included Supreme Petrochem Ltd. (805.15, 10.1%), Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (14,068, 8.8%) and Pfizer Ltd. (5,766.50, 8.2%).

Top high volume losers on BSE were Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (1,973.90, -3.5%), Deepak Nitrite Ltd. (1,810.50, -2.5%) and Galaxy Surfactants Ltd. (2,237.30, -1.4%).

Relaxo Footwears Ltd. (471.25, 7.9%) was trading at 34.5 times of weekly average. KEC International Ltd. (831.55, 6.8%) and Escorts Kubota Ltd. (3,623.80, 6.6%) were trading with volumes 29.9 and 21.3 times weekly average respectively on BSE at the time of posting this article.

BSE 500: highs, lows and moving averages

25 stocks made 52 week highs, while 1 stock tanked below their 52 week lows.

Stocks touching their year highs included - Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd. (7,822.50, 0.0%), Ashok Leyland Ltd. (131.76, 8.0%) and Bajaj Holdings & Investment Ltd. (14,523, 2.7%).

Stock making new 52 weeks lows included - Cohance Lifesciences Ltd. (897.35, -1.8%).

34 stocks climbed above their 200 day SMA including Apollo Tyres Ltd. (464.45, 7.4%) and Blue Star Ltd. (1,915.70, 7.3%). 7 stocks slipped below their 200 SMA including NMDC Steel Ltd. (39.70, -1.0%) and MphasiS Ltd. (2,698.10, -0.8%).

 
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