Bajaj Consumer Shares Surge 13% Following Strong Q4 Earnings

Bajaj Consumer Care Surges as Q4 Earnings Beat Expectations

Shares of Bajaj Consumer Care made significant gains in Friday's trade after the company reported robust fourth-quarter earnings. By afternoon, the stock price had reached Rs 482.00, a rise of Rs 53.10 or 12.38% on the National Stock Exchange (NSE).

The company's net profit for the quarter stood at Rs 63.6 crore, a substantial increase from the Rs 31 crore reported in the same period last year. Revenue also grew by 31% to Rs 327 crore, up from Rs 251 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. The company's Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) came in at Rs 77 crore, a significant improvement from Rs 32 crore in the year-ago period, while the EBITDA margin improved sharply to 23.4% from 12.7% on a year-on-year basis.

Key financial highlights of Bajaj Consumer Care's Q4 earnings:

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The company's profit before tax for the quarter rose to Rs 78.08 crore from Rs 38.14 crore in the same period last year. Earnings per share increased to Rs 4.79 compared with Rs 2.27 a year ago. The company's total income for the quarter stood at Rs 313.90 crore.

Meanwhile, the FMCG index extended gains for the third straight session on Friday, rising as much as 2.5%. Over the last three trading sessions, the index has advanced more than 4%. The Nifty FMCG index emerged as the top performer, climbing over 2%, with all constituent stocks trading in positive territory.

Hindustan Unilever shares jumped 5%, making it the top gainer on the benchmark Nifty50 index. Peer stocks such as Nestle India, ITC, and Tata Consumer Products also gained between 1.5% and 2%. Hindustan Unilever has reportedly increased prices across its soap portfolio to offset higher raw material and packaging costs. A Times of India report said the price hikes range from Re 1 to Rs 20.

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On the earnings front, HUL is scheduled to announce its March quarter results on April 30, while ITC will declare its Q4 earnings on April 21. Demand conditions have improved following GST 2.0 implementation, although supply-side concerns linked to the US-Iran war remain a key risk. CNBC-TV18 said this would be the first quarter when companies may see the full benefit of GST-led lower-priced products in fourth-quarter performance.