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1. Bharat Electronics: This public sector defence company has bagged multiple orders worth nearly Rs 16,300 crore in March for the supply of indigenously developed equipment and electronic warfare systems to the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. These order wins come after the company’s order inflow fell to a two-year low of Rs 3,500 crore during the first nine months of FY23 due to approval delays.

The company is expected to be a major beneficiary of the Centre’s push for reducing defence imports, as it commands a market share of 37% in the Indian defence sector. According to Geojit BNP Paribas, the company’s order book backlog of Rs 50,116 crore provides strong revenue visibility over the next three years. The company shows up in a screener for stocks with consistently high returns over the past five years. According to Trendlyne’s Forecaster, the consensus recommendation from 20 analysts is ‘Buy’.

While the management is optimistic about growth in orders from the defence sector, it plans to diversify into non-defence sectors like healthcare, airports, infrastructure and smart city projects. The firm’s long-term plan is to increase the contribution of its non-defence segment to 25% from 10% of total revenue.

With the rise in demand for locally manufactured defence systems, the company expects these orders to increase in the coming years. To be able to meet the upcoming requirements, it aims to make five new facilities operational in the next two-three years. It has budgeted a capex of Rs 600 and Rs 600-800 crore for FY23 and FY24 respectively. The management expects revenue to grow in the range of 15-20% in FY24, led by large orders and commissioning of new facilities.

2. Zydus Lifesciences: This pharmaceutical company reached its 52-week high of Rs 493.2 per share on Wednesday after receiving two US FDA approvals on the same day. The company shows up in a screener of stocks with strong momentum.

Zydus Lifesciences received final approval from the US FDA for its loperamide hydrochloride capsules, used for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, on Tuesday. According to IQVIA, the capsule has had an estimated annual sales of $34.7 million in the year ended January 2023 in the US.

The company received final approval from the US FDA for its levothyroxine sodium injection as well on Tuesday. The capsules, used for the treatment of myxedema coma, will be manufactured at its facility in Jarod, Gujarat.

However, it’s not all good news for the company. Earlier in the week (on Sunday), the drug manufacturer announced that it had recalled 55,000 bottles of colchicine tablets after it received an out-of-specification (OOS) result during release testing.

According to Sharekhan, the drug manufacturer stands to gain from strong product launches and volume growth in the US market, as its revenue of Rs 1,925 crore in Q3FY23 contributed to 44% of the total revenues. The brokerage estimates the company’s revenue to grow at a CAGR of 7.5% during FY22-25 and maintains its ‘buy’ rating on the stock with a target price of Rs 572. Trendlyne’s forecaster estimates its revenue to rise by 9.9% in FY23.

3. Allcargo Logistics: This logistics company rose over 2.4% on Tuesday after announcing its plan to acquire a 30% stake in Gati-Kintetsu Express for Rs 406.7 crore. Allcargo will buy shares from KWE Singapore (26% stake) and KWE India (4% stake). Gati-Kintetsu Express is a JV of Allcargo’s group company Gati and Kintetsu World Express. Gati deals in overseas courier services, while KWE is a Japanese freight forwarding company.

Allcargo has been on an acquisition spree over the past few months. The company had also bought the remaining 38.9% stake from its partner, ACCI, in the contract logistics business at an enterprise value of Rs 373 crore earlier this month.

In January, it bought a 75% stake in German cargo consolidator Fair Trade for 12 million euros, according to reports. Speaking to the media about the company’s recent acquisitions, Ravi Jakhar, the Chief Strategy Officer said the acquisitions were in line with the company’s strategy to simplify the organisational structure, enhance its growth in the domestic supply chain, and strengthen its position in key strategic markets.

Apart from the acquisitions, the company sold 90% of its logistics parks business to private equity firm Blackstone in February. Allcargo will also sell its non-core customs business.

However, despite a recent rise in its share price, the company is still down 27.3% from its 52-week high of Rs 495 in November 2022. But, it ranks high on Trendlyne’s checklist with a score of 73.9% and shows up in a screener for stocks with high Piotroski scores.

4. Jindal Stainless: This metals & mining stock rose 4% in early trade on Wednesday after it announced an acquisition of a 49% stake in Indonesia-based Nickel Pig Iron Co. However, it pared the gains and closed 0.2% lower. Jindal Stainless (JSL) plans to invest $157 million (Rs 1,290 crore) over the next two years to build a facility with a production capacity of 2 lakh metric tonnes. The company’s Managing Director Abhyuday Jindal says that not having backward integration for nickel is a big risk for the nation as we face a deficiency in nickel reserves.

This acquisition will help the company secure the supply of nickel, a critical raw material used in making alloys. Jindal Stainless has a series of other projects lined up. The company has announced an investment of Rs 120 crore to set up rooftop solar projects in Jajpur and Hisar facilities.

Sector growth looks decent for JSL as Bank of America Securities has given a positive stance for the near term. It expects steel demand to bounce back, resulting in higher prices. It also expects export opportunities to improve as export duty on steel has been scrapped.

Although the stock has fallen 5% in the past week, it gained 23.4% in the past three months and outperformed its sector by 3.7% in the past month. Jindal Stainless was a multi-bagger stock last year (gaining nearly 199%) but gained only 43.5% this year. Trendlyne’s Forecaster estimates a 5.7% increase in its annual revenue in FY23.

5. Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries: Thispharmaceutical giant expects its revenue to take a hit after reporting a ransomware attack on its system in early March. It reported a breach of some files and theft of company and personal data, impacting operations. The firm has isolated its network and started the recovery process. It is also evaluating the expenses for litigation and insurance. The stockfell nearly 3% the following week.

The firm did a series of acquisitions in Q4FY23, including a 60% stake in Vivaldis Health and Foods for Rs 143 crore in March, US-based Concert Pharmaceuticals for USD 576 million and a minority stake in Agasta Software and Remidio Innovative Solutions.

Lately, Sun Pharma has been focusing on the domestic market to increase its market share. The US and India each contribute 31% of revenue to the company, while emerging markets contribute 19%. It has nearly 9% share of the pharma market in India. Market share growth coupled with new launches for India formulations have led top-line growth in Q3FY23. Focusing on the global specialty portfolio also led to an increase in the margins. The specialty portfolio contributes nearly 13% of its revenue. The stock shows up in a screener for top Indian exporters among listed companies.

According to the management, its US portfolio is expected to grow 4.6%, while the India division should rise 7%. Its chronic portfolio is also expected to see strong growth led by new launches.

ICICI Securities says Sun Pharmaceuticals’ India business will outperform the industry, and global specialty sales will help margin expansion. Meanwhile, profitability will be slightly offset by rising R&D spend.

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

1. Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences: Prabhudas Lilladher maintains its ‘Buy’ rating on this healthcare facilities company with a target price of Rs 1,660. This implies an upside of 22.6%. Analysts Param Desai and Sanketa Kohale are optimistic about the company as they expect its occupancy rates, profitability and scalability to rise in the coming quarters. They also see the firm’s plans to expand its operations in Karnataka and Maharashtra as key positives. 

The analysts expect an operational turnaround and a rise in occupancy rate in KIMS’ Kingsway unit in Nagpur as it plans to add more clinical talent and fill in therapeutic gaps like oncology radiation. They also anticipate the occupancy rate to increase in the firm’s new Sunshine unit in Secunderabad, Telangana.. “The new Sunshine unit will be moved to a new state-of-the-art facility in a prime location by the end of Q1FY24. This would attract clinical talent across other therapies,” they added. Desai and Kohale estimate the hospital chain’s revenue to grow at a CAGR of 21.9% over FY22-25.

2. Shree Cements: ICICI Securities maintains its ‘Buy’ rating on this cement manufacturer and increases its target price to Rs 29,130 from Rs 27,550. This implies an upside of 15.6%. Analyst Harsh Mittal is positive about the company’s prospects on the back of strong capacity additions and increased demand due to the upcoming general elections. He sees the firm’s plan to increase the share of premium cement sales to 15% from 7% in 12-15 months, as a key positive. 

He also believes that the company will be able to improve its realisations with the help of cost-saving initiatives such as increased use of alternative fuels. “Consumption cost for alternate fuels is around Rs 1.3-1.5 per kilocalorie (kcal). Shree Cements’ current fuel consumption cost is Rs 2.3 per kcal at its current thermal substitution rate of 4.5%, and the company aims to increase it to 15% in the next 12 months,” he added. 

Mittal expects sales volumes to rise, and the firm’s expansion plans are on track. He expects the cement company’s net profit to grow at a CAGR of 18.3% over FY22-25.

3. State Bank of India: Motilal Oswal gives a ‘Buy’ call to this bank with a target price of Rs 725, indicating an upside of 43.1%. Following an interactive session with State Bank of India’s Chairman Dinesh Kumar Kharato to discuss the bank’s growth and margin outlook, analysts Nitin Aggarwal and Yash Agarwal say, “The bank’s robust performance has been aided by strong loan growth, margin expansion and lower provisions.” 

They believe that a high mix of floating loans will continue to aid net interest income and earnings, even though the cost of deposits may increase. According to the analysts, manufacturing, export, renewables, batteries and EV segments are likely to be the key growth drivers for the bank. Aggarwal and Agarwal say, “Asset quality performance remains strong, with consistent improvements in headline asset quality ratios while the restructured book is under control at 0.9%.’

4. Zydus Lifesciences: Sharekhan maintains its ‘Buy’ rating on this pharmaceutical company with a target price of Rs 572, implying an upside of 18.8%. Analysts at the brokerage believe the company’s growth will be driven by new product launches and volume growth in the US and India. They also expect input and freight costs to stabilise, leading to better profitability. 

The analysts believe the firm will outperform the Indian pharma market in the long term by penetrating newer geographies, launching new products and improving institutional sales. “The company has one of the largest pipelines of biosimilar products among Indian players, as it has so far launched 14 products in India,” they add. 

Sharekhan’s analysts anticipate strong demand in the US market on the back of robust product approvals in the recent past. The management is optimistic about maintaining the sales growth momentum in the US, driven by new launches, as well as volume expansion of existing products. The analysts expect the company’s net profit to grow at a CAGR of 12% over FY22-25.

5. Jyothy Labs: Hem Securities initiates a ‘Buy’ call on this personal products company with a target price of Rs 225. This indicates an upside of 20.9%. In Q3FY23, the company’s profit and revenue have grown 75.4% YoY to Rs 67.4 crore and 15.7% YoY to Rs 627.9 crore respectively. Analyst Chinmay Bhandari says that the company has posted good results in the past few quarters despite input price inflation and slowdown in volume growth. 

According to Bhandari, brands such as Ujala and Henko continue to register strong growth, while Exo Bar and Pril increase their market share. The analyst believes that falling crude prices will help the company post better margins and points out that the management is trying to increase its distribution network of key brands in newer markets to improve its topline. 

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

(You can find all analyst picks here)

In this week’s screener, we look at the "high return, high durability" investment strategy. The screener chooses a maximum of five stocks from the Nifty 500 index each quarter with strong financial durability, reasonable valuation and good momentum. 

The screener currently has stocks like HCL Technologies, Oil India, Hindustan Aeronautics, Zydus Lifesciences and Firstsource Solutions.

We performed two backtests on the screener to check its past performance. The backtests ran with a quarterly portfolio review frequency (change stocks every quarter) against the benchmark of Nifty 500 from March 2013 to March 2023. 

The difference between the two backtests was that for one test we considered only Nifty 500 stocks, and all stocks with a market cap of over Rs. 60 crore for the other.

The backtest with Nifty 500 stocks gave cumulative returns of 1,751.2% over 10 years, with a return CAGR of 33.84%. The average stock return was 14.4%, with a total of 82 winners and 62 losers. Ceat gave the highest returns of 428.8%. The maximum drawdown of the strategy was 30.5% in the September 2022 quarter. 

The backtest with all stocks beat the Nifty 500 strategy with higher cumulative returns and CAGR. However, this strategy comes with added risks, as its maximum drawdown is higher at 55.6%. It also has a higher number of losers (76) against 86 winners. Choosing all stocks may also include stocks with low delivery volumes. So the Nifty500 universe is more realistic. 

You can find some popular screenershere