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.
The turnover of FMCG major Nestle India's has grown 2.5 folds to Rs 20,100 crore in last one decade, post the Maggi crisis in 2015, according to the company's latest annual report. At the time of crisis, Nestle India's turnover was at Rs 8,100 crore.
FMCG major Nestle India Ltd on Thursday reported a 17.37 per cent decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 743.17 crore for the September 2025 quarter.
Daily essentials and food products will be cheaper from Monday, as leading FMCG companies have slashed prices, extending GST cut benefits to consumers.
GST 2.0 may cushion consumers against US tariffs, but like the 2019 corporate tax cut, it risks being another tactical fix rather than a structural growth strategy, expects Debashis Basu.
Trading sentiment in the stock market this week will be guided by quarterly earning announcements from blue-chips such as Infosys and Bajaj Finance, the outcome of India-US trade talks and global cues, analysts said. Markets may on Monday react to the quarterly results of three heavyweights - Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, an expert said.
Presently, around 23 per cent of Nestle India's workforce are women, its chairman and managing director Suresh Narayanan said on Monday. "We moved a fair degree on this. When I came to Nestle India in 2015, at that time we were at about 15-16 per cent.
From the 30-share blue-chip pack, Tata Motors, Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, Asian Paints, Nestle India, UltraTech Cement, Larsen & Toubro and Adani Ports were among the biggest gainers. In contrast, Zomato, HCL Tech, Tata Consultancy Services, Tech Mahindra, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Infosys were among the losers.
Investors became richer by nearly Rs 8 lakh crore on Wednesday as benchmark BSE Sensex surged by 740 points amid value buying in utilities and power shares and a strong trend in global markets. The 30-share BSE Sensex surged by 740.30 points or 1.01 per cent to close at 73,730.23.
Leading FMCG companies reported a decline in margins in the September quarter on account of higher input costs and food inflation, which ultimately slowed down the pace of urban consumption. Rising prices of commodity inputs such as palm oil, coffee and cocoa were also accentuated and some FMCG firms have hinted at a price hike. HUL, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL), Marico, ITC, and Tata Consumer Products Ltd (TCPL) have expressed concerns over squeezing urban consumption, which according to industry experts forms 65-68 per cent of FMCG total sales.
Quick commerce (Qcom) platforms are bringing upon a rapid change in the behaviours of online shoppers, with 31 per cent of buyers relying on the fast delivery option for grocery needs, according to a new study.
Share prices of Nestle India, Asian Paints, Bandhan Bank, Tata Technologies, AU Small Finance Bank and Avenue Supermarts, all a part of the BSE 500 index, have hit their respective 52-week lows on the BSE in Thursday's intra-day trade after a sharp correction in the equity markets.
From the Sensex stocks, Maruti Suzuki India, Tata Motors, JSW Steel, Larsen & Toubro, Tata Steel, Mahindra and Mahindra, Tata Consultancy Services, Tech Mahindra, HCL Technologies and Infosys were the laggards. HDFC Bank, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Nestle India and Asian Paints were among the gainers.
If growth reverts to the pre-Covid level, a lot of people may have to temper their rosy optimism, points out Debashis Basu.
The company now plans to bet on health sciences, skin care and specialised products, says Arnab Dutta.
Nestle India on Wednesday inaugurated a new manufacturing plant at Nanjangud in Mysore district, Karnataka. The plant, set up with an investment of Rs 360 crore (3.6 billion), will manufacture a range of culinary products.
The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from Maggi noodles manufacturer Nestle India Ltd and Maharashtra on a plea filed by food regulator FSSAI.
Nestle India Ltd will focus on growing its dairy, coffee and confectionary businesses, its new boss said
Mondelez, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Nestle India have been working on bringing down the sugar, salt, and sodium content.
Nestle India is in the process of resuming exports of its Maggi instant noodles to various global markets after it got a go ahead from Bombay High Court earlier this week.
Automobile, apparel and electronics are among sectors that see a sales boost during the festival season, a time when investors expect gains in related stocks. This year could be different: Analysts have factored in all positives and do not expect such stocks to deliver lucrative returns. "Indian households spend across sectors like automobiles, consumer durables, and consumer staples during the festival season.
Nestle India, the subsidiary of Swiss dairy major Nestle, is all geared to set up its ninth plant in the country. The company had acquired about 50 acres of land at Sanand, nearly 30 kilometres from Ahmedabad, for a manufacturing plant, said Gujarat government officials.
Nestle India Ltd has informed BSE that the company would be publishing audited financial results for year ended December 31, 2002 within the stipulated period of three months after the year end.
Among the Sensex constituents, as many as 16 stocks closed with losses with Nestle India, Kotak Mahindra Bank, IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finserve, Titan and JSW Steel being the major laggards. Index major Reliance, Hindustan Unilever, Maruti and Tata Steel also declined due to selling pressure. In contrast, NTPC, TCS, Tech Mahindra, Bajaj Finance bucked the trend and ended the day in green. Axis Bank, Bharti Airtel, Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors also defied the trend.
Nestle refused to regret the mistake in a public statement.
Neslte which did brisk business in India, with 30 per cent revenue coming from Maggi alone, has not taken a big hit.
Maharashtra's Food and Drugs Administration on Wednesday argued in the Bombay High Court that Nestle India.
Recently, the company has released videos on Maggi.
'The Nifty index looks to be 20 per cent overvalued as per our model after moving up more than 10 per cent in the last two months.'
Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies anticipate sustained volume pressures in the January-March quarter (Q4) coupled with sluggish rural growth during the period. Brokerages estimate top-line growth to be in low single digits in the quarter. Also, the late onset of winter had an impact on demand for winter products which range from moisturisers to hot beverages.
Stocks of smallcap and midcap companies, which had caught the fancy of retail investors, also feature in the portfolio of leading politicians in addition to bluechip stocks.
Intensifying competition and possibility of further legal action to test expectations of recovery.
The index is currently trading at 149 per cent of its historical P/B valuation, surpassing its previous peak of 125 per cent made in 2020-21.
Nestl India on Thursday night decided to take Maggi off the shelves after a controversy erupted over its contents, prompting several states to ban the 'two-minute' noodles.
Among major Sensex movers, ITC rose the most by 1.70 per cent, Wipro by 1.43 per cent, Tech Mahindra by 1.36 per cent and Nestle India by 1.27 per cent. Other gainers included HCL Tech, Asian Paints and Reliance. On the other hand, ICICI Bank, NTPC, UltraTech Cement and Tata Steel traded with a loss of up to 0.82 per cent.
The slowdown in private consumption in the economy is taking a toll on the growth of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). The net sales growth of listed FMCG companies hit a 14-quarter low of 2.5 per cent in October-December 2023 (Q3FY24). This is the lowest revenue growth for the industry since the June 2020 quarter, when the FMCG firms in the Business Standard sample had reported a 13.2 per cent Y-o-Y decline in combined net sales owing to the lockdown.
Renewed inflationary pressures, led by a spike in prices of vegetables and cereals, have cast a spell on the equity markets in the past month. The BSE Sensex and Nifty50 have declined up to 2 per cent each during the period, clipping the 13 per cent rally from the March lows, shows data from ACE Equity. Investors typically consider shares of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies as defensive bets, putting their weight behind them in a falling market.
Half of India's top-priced stocks have outperformed the benchmark indices this year. On a year-to-date basis (YTD), the Sensex has gained 3.8 per cent and the Nifty50 3.4 per cent. The stocks which have outperformed the indices include 3M India, Nestle India, MRF, Shree Cement and Bosch while those who have underperformed the benchmarks include Page Industries (-10.4 per cent), Procter & Gamble (-4 per cent), Honeywell Automation (-0.9) and Lakshmi Machine Works, which gained 1.3 per cent.
'Focus on 19,400/64,900 as the key resistance levels for the Nifty/Sensex.'
Nestle India, the Indian subsidiary of the Swiss multinational FMCG giant Nestle, had to face on social media the wrath of consumers, who accused the company of hurting religious sentiments by using the sacred images on Kitkat wrappers.
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