Indian fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) players are once again on the prowl to acquire companies, as the economy picks up.
Enthused by robust financial performance and attractive valuations, foreign investors increased their exposure to fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies such as Britannia, Hindustan Unilever and Godrej Consumers Products in April-June this year.
The combined wealth of India's dollar billionaires is now equivalent to 33.81 per cent of India's nominal GDP.
Salaries are performance-linked and FY12 was good on both counts; now, persistent inflation and patchy rains show on rural market.
Exemptions on the personal income tax would increase the income in the hands of the consumers, thereby increasing spending.
Among the 30 Sensex companies, UltraTech Cement, Larsen & Toubro, Tata Motors, Nestle, Tata Steel, Hindustan Unilever, Bajaj Finance, Reliance Industries, Mahindra & Mahindra and State Bank of India were the biggest laggards. In contrast, Bharti Airtel, Infosys, JSW Steel, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro and NTPC were among the biggest gainers.
MNC funds invest in companies where foreign promoters have more than 50 per cent shareholding.
'A long-term investor with a 4 to 5 year horizon could invest in this theme via SIPs.'
From the Sensex pack, Larsen & Toubro, Bajaj Finserv, Mahindra & Mahindra, UltraTech Cement, State Bank of India, IndusInd Bank, Reliance Industries and Sun Pharma were among the biggest gainers. Bharti Airtel, Titan, ITC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Tech Mahindra and HDFC Bank were among the laggards.
From the Sensex basket, ITC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bharti Airtel, State Bank of India, Asian Paints, Tech Mahindra, Reliance Industries and Nestle were the major gainers. Maruti, HDFC Bank, Larsen & Toubro and Mahindra & Mahindra were among the laggards.
The government is set to examine concerns over quick commerce companies potentially undermining businesses of local kirana stores, particularly in the context of the draft Digital Competition Bill, according to official sources. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs recently raised the issue with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs during discussions around the proposed legislation. "We need to assess if and how the Bill can address these concerns and explore further steps to include provisions to keep a check," a senior official stated.
ITC Limited is planning to aggressively scale up its FMCG business and expand the portfolio by staging an entry into the home and personal care market, in an attempt to be the leading FMCG player in the country.
India Inc continued to grapple with muted revenue growth in the September 2024 quarter (Q2FY25) and witnessed a decline in margins and profits. The headwinds were especially severe for non-financial companies, while banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) firms significantly outpaced the rest of the corporate sector. The total profit of 1,353 listed companies that have released their Q2FY25 results thus far dropped by 0.6 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) - the first cumulative earnings decline in eight quarters.
FMCG stocks have underperformed the market, falling 2.2 per cent so far in 2014.
A major reason for the high growth in advertising spends as these companies are keen on higher volume
Mutual fund equity schemes which only invest in sectors such as banks and fast moving consumer products (FMCG) have emerged top performers across product categories in 2012. But these schemes face stiff challenges to repeat such outperformance in 2013.
Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty settled higher on Thursday, powered by a rally in banking and power stocks amid a largely firm trend in global markets. The stock markets mostly traded range-bound in the absence of any major trigger and persistent foreign capital outflows, traders said. The 30-share BSE Sensex rose 144.31 points, or 0.18 per cent, to settle at 81,611.41.
FMCG analyst at SSKI Nikhil Vora believes that the next round of growth for the FMCG sector will get powered by a lot of front-ended investment by companies.
These 10 stocks represent the best mix of value and growth, offering relatively low price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, a high return on equity, and sufficiently high potential from current levels.
The biggest headwind to the consumption story in FY23 is a sharp decline in government subsidies on food, fertiliser and fuel, and overall decline in revenue expenditure net of interest payments. This, analysts say, will adversely impact purchasing power of households at the lower end of the income pyramid, translating into lower spending on consumer goods and services.
The current spurt in the stock market is on account of strong fundamentals and robust corporate earnings and retail investors can look for buying opportunities to accumulate quality stocks, experts said.
Players like UltraTech Cement more expensive than ITC and HUL; others catching up fast.
For the quarter ended June, most FMCG companies reported growth of 15-20 per cent in revenue, as demand for daily-use items continued to be high.
'Invest only in stocks of those companies that deliver on earnings and there is earnings visibility too for the next few quarters.'
Ravi Shankar mulls taking his products, available at 600 outlets, to 2,500 stores by 2017; others have plans, too.
According to Nielsen, rural growth has plunged to a low 5 per cent in the third quarter of quarter from a high 20 per cent a year ago. This has for the first time in seven years rural growth has fallen below urban levels.
The market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies hit a record high of Rs 429.32 lakh crore on Wednesday as the BSE benchmark Sensex ended higher amid a largely positive trend in global equities. The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 149.98 points or 0.20 per cent to settle at 76,606.57. During the day, it jumped 593.94 points or 0.77 per cent to 77,050.53.
While there is widespread expectation that excise duty is likely to be raised on revenue considerations, the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector pleads for retaining them at current levels to spur demand.
Urban and rural FMCG sales growth data for the last five quarters show the latter outperformed the former consistently.
The firms record robust 10-15% growth till September. However, despite the enhanced outlays for A&B, companies are looking at adopting cost -cutting measures.
Tata Motors, Bharti, Coal India among key gainers.
With a growth rate of 10 to 12 per cent, pursuing a career in the FMCG sector promises you lots of opportunities to learn alongside a handsome pay package.
Sales of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) witnessed significant recovery in September after enduring a double-digit decline in August, according to data furnished by Bizom. Kirana stores in rural areas stocked up in preparation for the festival season, which began in September. This, combined with rainfall reaching 113 per cent of the long-perid average for the month, contributed to a boost in sales.
