Hindustan Unilever Ltd's (HUL's) second quarter 2025-26 (Q2FY26) consolidated revenue rose 2 per cent to Rs 16,250 crore, with low or flat volume growth. Demand remained stable but goods and services tax (GST) transition and prolonged monsoon hurt offtake.
Since their inception, they have cumulatively distributed over Rs 26,700 crore to unitholders.
In October, small car wholesales of the auto industry -- excluding Tata Motors -- went up by 8.4 per cent Y-o-Y to 116,601 units, the data showed. However, the utility vehicle (UV) segment which includes sports utility vehicles (SUVs) as well as multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs), saw a bigger growth in October.
Tata Motors' commercial-vehicle (CV) business reported a 48 per cent year-on-year decline in net profit to Rs 705 crore in Q3FY26, even as profit before tax (PBT) rose 65 per cent to Rs 2,568 crore.
The stock of automotive (auto) components major Bharat Forge has risen 14.6 per cent over the past month. Despite ongoing demand challenges, strong operating performance in the July-September quarter (Q3) of 2025-26 (FY26), a diversified revenue base, and expectations of a gradual recovery have lifted sentiment.
FSN E-Commerce Ventures Ltd, the parent company of beauty retailer Nykaa, recorded a 3.4x growth in net profit at ~34.43 crore in the second quarter of FY26, up from ~10.04 crore in the corresponding period last year.
Dabur's business update for Q3FY26 indicated mid-single digit consolidated revenue growth. The guidance is that growth in operating and net profits will beat revenue growth. In the domestic business, home and personal care (HPC) revenue grew in double digits, while healthcare is likely to post a sequential growth in low-single digits.
Top Indian cement firms are expected to report a strong earnings growth for the second quarter of the financial year 2025-26 (Q2FY26) on a year-on-year (Y-o-Y) basis, amid improved realisations, prices, and steady volume growth, but on a low base.
Foreign investors have remained cautious ahead of the Union Budget amid expectations of limited policy changes.
Brokerages expect the company to continue outperforming in the auto segment, driven by launches and the strong trajectory of healthy bookings.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has granted a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE), paving the way for the country's biggest exchange - currently valued at 5 trillion in the unlisted market - to file draft documents for its long-awaited initial public offering (IPO).
Growth accelerated for Zomato operator Eternal in the second quarter of financial year 2026 (Q2FY26). Zomato's business to commerce (B2C) operations delivered a strong 57 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) rise in net order value (NOV) to Rs 23,164 crore while consolidated revenue soared 183 per cent Y-o-Y (90 per cent Q-o-Q) to Rs 13,590 crore during the period, with like-for-like (LFL) growth of 65 per cent, and acceleration in the quick commerce (QC) segment, which recorded NOV growth of 137 per cent Y-o-Y (27 per cent Q-o-Q).
The stock of automative major Eicher Motors hit its all-time high on Wednesday, capping the year with gains of about 52.7 per cent. It has comfortably outperformed its sector index, the Nifty Auto, which jumped 22.7 per cent, as well as the benchmark Nifty, which rose 10 per cent during this period.
Leading automakers Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Hyundai Motor India posted higher sales in January riding on the growth momentum ushered in by the GST reforms in the festive period last year.
Vedanta, a conglomerate in mining and metals, has seen a surge in its share price on the back of multiple triggers. Its demerger appears to be on track, a strong non-ferrous commodity cycle is boosting margins, and silver bulls are interested in Hindustan Zinc, its subsidiary.
ICICI Bank delivered satisfactory results in the second quarter of 2025-26 (Q2FY26), sustaining return on assets (RoA) of around 2.3-2.4 per cent and improving asset quality. Provisions declined 26 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) and 50 per cent quarter-on-quarter (Q-o-Q).
Top real estate developers reported healthy presales growth in the second quarter of FY26, aided by a steady pipeline of new project launches. While overall housing momentum across major Indian cities moderated during the quarter, listed players remained relatively insulated.
Axis Bank reported a sharp drop in net profit in the second quarter of financial year 2026 (Q2FY26) on higher provisions and weak operating profit growth while revenue growth was moderate. But loan growth and deposit growth improved to double-digits year-on-year (Y-o-Y) and asset quality also improved with the gross non-performing loan or NPL ratio moving down.
The imposition of safeguard duty, an uptick in exports, and an increase in input cost are driving steel prices higher. The latest round of price increase took place on Friday, with some steel mills increasing hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices by ~500-750 a tonne, according to price reporting and market intelligence firm BigMint. HRC is a benchmark for flat steel.
Asian Paints reported a good performance for the second quarter (July-September) of 2025-26 (Q2FY26), with some help from base effects, despite strong competition and extended monsoon. Volume grew in low double digits in the key domestic decorative paints, and value in that segment grew by 6 per cent. Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) grew 21 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y), and PAT (profit after tax) grew 14 per cent. Asian Paints also defended market share better after several quarters where it had lost ground to Birla Opus.
Maharashtra has pipped Tamil Nadu in NITI Aayog's latest Export Preparedness Index (EPI) for 2024. While Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh gained ground, Karnataka and Haryana slipped out of the top five, the central government think tank said in its report released on Wednesday.
The operating performance of the country's largest passenger carmakers, Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) and Hyundai Motor India (HMIL), in the July-September quarter (Q2) of 2025-26 (FY26) outpaced brokerage expectations.
With gains of over 28 per cent, Hero MotoCorp has emerged as the best-performing largecap automotive stock over the past three months. The rally has been driven by an improved outlook for the rural segment, higher demand during the ongoing festival season, and rising affordability following cuts in goods and services tax (GST) rates.
Top real estate developers are expected to report improved earnings and resilient presales growth, even as overall housing sales across major Indian cities declined during the July-September quarter (Q2) of 2025-26. The anticipated earnings growth in what is typically a subdued quarter is credited to steady sustenance sales, improved collections, the strong positioning of listed developers, and sustained demand for premium homes.
Utilities in the power sector present an interesting investment case at this moment. Most power stocks have lost substantial ground in the past 12 months.
Ahmedabad-headquartered Zydus Lifesciences posted a 17 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) rise in revenue from operations to Rs 6,123 crore, while the net profit increased by 38 per cent to Rs 1,258.6 crore aided by consistent performance in the US and India formulations businesses.
The power sector presents a puzzle. A fast-growing economy should be aligned to higher power demand but that hasn't been the case in the financial year 2026 till date (FY26TD).
The July-September quarter (Q2) performance of consumer electricals and durables major Havells India in 2025-26 (FY26) was broadly in line with Street estimates. While the top line was supported by robust growth in the wire and cable, switchgear, and lighting segments, the consumer durables segment restricted overall gains.
Hit by a slowdown in information technology (IT) hiring, Info Edge (India)'s results for the July-September quarter (Q2) of 2025-26 (FY26) fell short of brokerage expectations. What helped the online recruitment major offset the weak IT hiring trend was broad-based growth across other sectors.
While Q2FY26 is expected to be mildly disappointing for the hospital sector, there's a lot of investor optimism for the future. This comes after a favourable revision in rates for Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) procedures, as well as expectations of rising occupancy and growth in average revenue per operating bed (ARPOB).
Colgate-Palmolive India's September quarter (Q2FY26) performance has reinforced concerns among brokerages about the company's continued market challenges.
The pickup was driven partly by fresh corporate investment but more by higher working-capital demand.
Pune-based two-wheeler major Bajaj Auto posted its highest ever quarterly revenue and profit after tax (PAT) in Q2FY26. Even as consolidated revenues were up 18.8 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to Rs 15,734.7 crore, PAT zoomed 53.2 per cent to Rs 2,122 crore.
Packaged food major Nestle India posted better than expected September quarter results led by strong volume growth across its key segments. While there were margin pressures due to elevated raw material costs, there could be some relief with easing prices in the near term.
Given the stronger rural activity, and potential goods and services tax (GST) impact, investors are bullish on the two-wheeler (2W) segment. In August, dealers in the domestic market picked up 11 per cent more 2Ws year-on-year (Y-o-Y), despite only 2 per cent growth in retail registrations. This indicates inventory stocking ahead of the festival season. Export trends were good. TVS Motor and Royal Enfield may have gained domestic market share.
Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TMPV) on Friday reported a 13 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) decline in consolidated revenue from operations for the second quarter of 2025-26 (Q2FY26), largely due to the cyberattack on its subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in late August that forced a shutdown of its manufacturing operations for over five weeks.
India's gems & jewellery exports witnessed 30.6 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) contraction in October to $2.17 million, amid the imposition of a steep 50 per cent tariff by the United States (US) on several Indian products.
Healthcare major Max Healthcare Institute delivered a healthy performance in the second quarter (July-September) of 2025-26 (Q2FY26). Strong patient volumes and average revenues not only boosted the top line but also aided the operating performance.
Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies are expected to report mid-single-digit revenue growth in the July-September 2025-26 quarter, according to their quarterly updates. Most companies also noted that supply chains were focused on liquidating existing stock ahead of the implementation of new goods and services tax (GST) rates in categories where the tax was lowered.
With the price of gold entering a strong bull run, gold-loan non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) are under the spotlight, even though their performance is not directly linked to gold price. Muthoot Finance outperformed in the April-June quarter (Q1) of 2025-26 (FY26), with its assets under management (AUM) growing 10 per cent quarter-on-quarter (Q-o-Q) and 42 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y), an improvement of 88 basis points (bps) Q-o-Q in net interest margin (NIM), and a fall in credit cost. Gold AUM rose 40 per cent Y-o-Y and 10 per cent Q-o-Q. The company recorded recoveries of 350 crore, including 100 crore from an asset reconstruction company (ARC), resulting in a 100-bp Q-o-Q yield increase.
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