Market Buzz

April – A mixed bag in Motown

The month of April witnessed weakness in auto sales for companies like Maruti and Tata Motors, while 2 wheelers like Hero and Bajaj reported good sets of numbers. M&M put up a good show on the auto side, on the new launch of XUV 500. Rise in fuel prices and excise duty hikes on national as well as state levels led to hampering of sentiments, while interest rate cut of 50 bps had some positive impact. CV sales were the most affected during the month as macros posted weak set of numbers (IIP). ON the PV side, we believe the first half of the year will be slightly tepid, while any further cut in interest rates, new model launches and diesel engine capacity ramp up will help the auto industry to grow mainly in the second half of the year. Strong two wheeler sales of the two market leaders was a big surprise as the street expected weakening of rural growth to impact two wheeler sales negatively. The growth in 2wheeler sales indicates resilience on their part.

Hero Motocorp – (Under review)- Surprised one and all

Hero posted a growth of 4% mom and 7% yoy in April at 5.51 lakh units. This was above our expectations as April is generally a weak month when compared sequentially defying any slowdown or sluggishness in the domestic two wheeler industry. However, competition from Honda, new launches from Bajaj and slowdown in the rural markets remain overhang on the stock. Still among 2 wheelers, we prefer Hero over its peers due to its market leadership position, strong presence in the executive segment, widespread dealership network and array of strong products.

Bajaj Auto (TP – Rs 1,620, Neutral)- Weakness ahead

Bajaj posted 4% yoy growth in April which seems not too impressive, however it grew by 14% on mom basis which is a good start for a new year. Motorcycles grew by 6% yoy while 3 wheelers de-grew by 13% yoy. Export growth was at 7% Exports of the company jumped to 44% of sales as compared to 34% in March. Going forward, we believe that the company will continue to face increased competition from Hero and Honda in the domestic markets and new launches within the Discover and Pulsar range may cannibalize its existing portfolio. On the export side, Sri Lanka (20% of exports) increasing import duties on 2W and 3W and Indonesian auto manufacturers projecting de-growth for FY 13 may impact Bajaj Auto’s performance. However, management guided for a 6% growth in Q1 FY13 and to sell more than 3 lakh motorcycles per month this year. They also expect to grow at market growth rate this year.

Mahindra and Mahindra – (TP- Rs783, BUY) – Auto segment strong, FES segment subdued…

M&M sold 40,719 units in the auto segment, a 27% growth yoy which was a good number for M&M. Passenger UV sales in the month grew by 33% yoy to 20,558 units, which was a slight decline mom. The yoy sales growth came on the back of the new launch of XUV500. 4W pick-up segment which includes Gio, Genio and Maxximo posted a robust 37% growth yoy as the LCV segment continued to grow at a strong pace indicating expansion in the total sub 1 tonne LCV market. Export declined significantly to 1,420 units. Farm Equipment Segment (FES) which had posted a very robust growth of 71% in October almost halved in November, and moved down even further to 15,315 units in December and continued to go down with a negative growth of 6% yoy in January. This negativity went further deep in February, as M&M reported 20% dip in this month on issues of increasing delinquencies on the agri credit, slowdown of farm yields and overall tepid growth in Indian economy. However, March showed some revival in tractor sales on a mom basis, as they sold 17,405 units, almost a 15% growth mom. In April, again the segment showed slight weakness as sales fell by 8% mom and 13% yoy.

Maruti Suzuki – (TP – Rs 1,300, Underperformer)- Performance lower than expected

Maruti Suzuki (Maruti)‘s sales in this month came at 100,415 units as compared to 97,155  units, 3.4% growth on yoy basis. In a scenario where petrol prices are moving up, the bread and butter segment, the mini segment of Maruti comprising Alto, Wagon R and A Star de-grew by 26.4% yoy. The compact segment comprising Swift, Ritz and Estilo showed a solid growth of 43% as demand for diesel cars is moving northwards on the backdrop of gap between petrol and diesel prices increasing and the production of high demand new Swift getting back to normalcy of >17,000 units per month.  Vans segment de-grew by 10% yoy as vehicles such as Omni and Eeco underperformed. In the SUV segment, the launch of Ertiga led to s strong growth to 5,593 units v/s 217 units yoy. Dzire model grew by 31.5% as the new diesel model consistently performed. SX4 model declined heavily by about 70% yoy as there was dearth of diesel engines. Exports grew by just 1.5% yoy, while de-growing by 32% mom to sell 10,160 units. Any further rate cut by the central bank of India may have a positive impact on the volumes, while petrol price hike will impact sales adversely. State level levy of extra excise duty on cars will impact sales in those states in coming months(eg:- Maharashtra). Restriction on the expansion of diesel engine capacities lead to a cap on the diesel engine sales going forward. Also yen appreciation and fuel price hike along with doling out of higher discounts on petrol cars will be impacting the stock negatively.

Tata Motors – (TP- Rs318, BUY)- Negative surprise

April sales for the company were lower by 7% yoy, while on mom basis, they fell by a huge 40%. CV sales dropped by 6% yoy, out of which LCV sales were up by 9% yoy signifying LCV segment’s defiance of the macro uncertainties. New launches like the variant of Ace Zip led to the growth in LCV. MHCV sales however slipped by 29% yoy as macro weaknesses surfaced in the month. PV segment sales fell by 7% yoy which was arrested upto some extent due to Indica range which was up 63% yoy on new launch of Indica Vista launched a quarter back. Utility segment sales went up by 5% yoy. Indigo range sales were down by 31%. Nano sales declined to 8,028 units which was a decline of 20%. Although the domestic business has underperformed this month, on a broad basis, it has performed well in the past and the contribution of domestic business to the total profits is just 20%, which leads us to maintain BUY on Tata Motors as JLR business is outperforming.              

TVS Motor – (TP- Rs 50, Neutral)- In line with expectations

TVS sold 1.74 lakh units in April in line with our subdued estimate. This was a de-growth of 4% mom and a growth of 4% yoy. Motorcycles de-grew by 4% yoy, while scooters grew by 2% yoy. 3 Wheelers have continued their underperformance as they declined 19% yoy to 2,961 units. In FY 13, TVS expects  to grow at 8-10% against 7.9% in FY 12. With rising competition in the scooter segment from Honda, M&M and Suzuki, slowdown in motorcycle segment and structural weakness in 3 Wheeler segment , we continue to believe that TVS will be a laggard in the 2W segment.

4-Wheelers marching ahead in March…

The month of March witnessed an expected surge in auto volumes as pre budget buying was prevailing in the first half of the month and since there was no negative news for diesel cars except the expected hike of 2% in the excise duty across the board, the cheer continued in the second half as well. Seasonally a strong month – March saw companies like Tata Motors, Maruti and M&M (our top picks in that order) post all time high monthly sales numbers with each of their segments performing well. With Tata Motors touching the magic figure of 1 lakh, Maruti crossing its pre strike volume number and M&M with its new launches helping them to put up a record high in UV sales the auto industry saw a firm uptick. On the other hand, TVS continued its disappointment, signaling that Honda is taking its toll on their performance . Each of their segments saw a sharp fall in growth- thus showing fundamental weakness. TVS’s peers also posted a subdued show, however better than TVS. 2 wheeler companies have given a word of caution stating that they are still in a slowdown mode and there is nothing motivating to predict a bullish overtone to the 2 wheeler space in the coming year as of yet.

Ashok Leyland (TP – Rs30, Neutral)

Ashok Leyland’s March sales exceeded our expectations, as they sold 14,285 units, a growth of 17% yoy. This constituted the newly launched LCV Dost which sold 2,211 units, while the actual MHCV volumes declined by 0.8% yoy to 12,074 units. However, MHCV sales grew by 27% mom and LCV sales grew by 40% mom. The total sales surpassed Ashok Leyland’s full year target of 1 lakh units. In FY 12, the company grew at a pace of 8.4%. The company sold 94,416 MHCVs and 7,593 LCVs in FY12. Improvement in South Indian markets will remain a key to success in FY13.

Bajaj Auto (TP – Rs 1,620, Neutral)

Bajaj posted just 9% yoy growth in March and a 4% dip on mom basis. Motorcycles grew by 10% yoy while 3 wheelers grew by 4% yoy. Despite March being a strong month for auto industry, Bajaj like its peers posted a soft performance, below our expectations. In FY 12, the growth was 14%, while the company estimates to grow at 15% in FY 13, which we believe is a bit too optimistic considering the difficult operating environment in the midst of a slowdown. Exports of the company will also feel the heat with Sri Lanka (20% of exports) increasing import duties.

Hero Motocorp (TP- Rs 2,000, Neutral)

Hero posted a flattish growth in March at 5.28 lakh units, while on a yoy basis it was a growth of just 2%. The subdued performance of two wheelers signifies slowdown and sluggishness in the domestic two wheeler industry. However, competition from Honda may eat up the market share of TVS ( which has already started to happen), followed by Bajaj and then compete with Hero as the gap between the scale of Hero and Honda is very wide. Hence, we believe that within 2 wheelers, Hero is one of the stocks to look at.

Mahindra and Mahindra – (TP- Rs783, BUY) – Auto segment sails through, FES segment recovers…

M&M sold 47,001 units in the auto segment, a 25% growth yoy which was a stellar figure for M&M, a record high. This performance was better than our expectations. Passenger UV sales in the month grew by 30% yoy to 21,257 units, which was 14% growth mom. The strong sales on the recently launched XUV 500 and the new Xylo led to this strong growth. 4W pick-up segment which includes Gio, Genio and Maxximo posted a robust 28% growth yoy as the LCV segment continued to grow at a strong pace indicating expansion in the total sub 1 tonne LCV market. Verito sales were strong in the month at 1,763 units up a mammoth 73% yoy v/s 1,619 units in February. Export sales moved up by 31% yoy  to 2,659 units, however, this was flattish mom. Farm Equipment Segment (FES) which had posted a very robust growth of 71% in October almost halved in November, and moved down even further to 15,315 units in December and continued to go down with a negative growth of 6% yoy in January. This negativity went further deep in February, as M&M reported 20% dip in this month on issues of increasing delinquencies on the agri credit, slowdown of farm yields and overall tepid growth in Indian economy. However, March showed some revival in tractor sales on a mom basis, as they sold 17,405 units, almost a 15% growth mom. However, yoy they declined by 12%.  In FY 12, the company’s auto sales grew by 28%, while FES ended the year with just 10%, v/s 17-18% projected growth by management in October.

Maruti Suzuki – (TP – Rs 1,475, BUY)- Performance in line with expectations.

Maruti Suzuki (Maruti)‘s sales in this month came at 125,952 units as compared to 121,952  units, 3.3% growth on yoy basis, while on mom basis it was up by 6%. In a scenario where petrol prices are moving up, the bread and butter segment, the mini segment of Maruti comprising Alto, Wagon R and A Star de-grew by 10% yoy. The compact segment comprising Swift, Ritz and Estilo showed a solid growth of 23.6% as demand for diesel cars is moving northwards on the backdrop of gap between petrol and diesel prices increasing and the production of high demand new Swift getting back to normalcy of >17,000 units per month.  Vans segment grew by 146% yoy as the pre-launch dispatches of Ertiga started in March itself. Only the SX4 model faced a huge decline of about 58.1% yoy as there was dearth of diesel engines. Exports grew by 14.7% yoy, while growing at 17% mom to sell 13,228 units with non European geographies like Asia-Pacific, CIS countries and Africa showing growth momentum . In line with the new Dzire model launched in February, it has started creating a base of 15000-16000 units per month as it grew 60% yoy to 16,541 units in March. Any rate cut by the central bank of India may have a positive impact on the volumes, while petrol price hike will impact sales adversely. Status quo maintained on diesel cars taxation is a good news for Maruti and the cheer is expected to continue in coming months though 2% excise duty hike getting passed on have made cars costlier. State level levy of extra excise duty on cars will impact sales in those states in coming months(eg:- Maharashtra). Expansion of diesel engine capacities will help the company to cater to the bludgeoning demand for diesel cars. In FY 12, Maruti’s sales de-grew by 10.8% on competition, fuel price hikes, interest rate increase and strikes at the Manesar plant.

Tata Motors – (TP- Rs318, BUY)- Record high!

March sales for the company were at a record high of 100,414 units, 20.5% up yoy and 9% up mom. CV sales grew by a healthy 16.7% yoy, out of which LCV sales were up by a healthy 37% yoy signifying LCV segment’s defiance of the macro uncertainties. New launches like the variant of Ace Zip led to the growth in LCV. MHCV sales however slipped by 5.8% yoy while growing by 13.7% mom. PV segment sales have started to pick up since last quarter as they grew by 33.6% yoy on strength coming from Indica range which was up 64.6% yoy mainly on prebuying effect of budget and on new launch of Indica Vista launched a quarter back. Utility segment sales went up by 40.5% yoy. Indigo range sales were also up by 15% after underperforming in February. Nano sales were the star performer as they grew smartly up at 10,475 units, 20.3% up yoy and 13.6% mom. Continued strength in CV business aided by LCVs and robust PV sales have led to a continuous solid growth in volumes of the company. Total FY 12 growth of the company has been 13.3%.              

TVS Motor – (TP- Rs 50, Neutral)- Seasonally up… though the broad picture remains negative

TVS sold 1.83 lakh units in March in line with our subdued estimate. This was a de-growth of 4% yoy and a growth of 6% mom. Motorcycles de-grew by 17% yoy, while scooters fell by 7.6% yoy. However, the low cost mopeds performed well by growing 16% yoy. 3 Wheelers have continued their underperformance as they declined 33% yoy and 26.5% mom. In FY 12, TVS sales grew by just 7.9%. With rising competition in the scooter segment from Honda, M&M and Suzuki, slowdown in motorcycle segment and structural weakness in 3 Wheeler segment , we continue to believe that TVS will be a laggard in the 2W segment.

Good come back!

 Better than expected January performance surprised us as December was quite a low for many of the companies. Maruti was more than a surprise as quickly getting back to recovery after abysmal October sales was not expected. However, sustainability of the same is a question as government’s stand on diesel vehicles will play a big role in future sales of Maruti. Also, competition, and higher fuel prices are still downside risks for the company. M&M put up a robust show on the auto side and is expected to excel further as XUV500 sales gains momentum. On FES side, the performance was down yoy, but showed a good pull back sequentially. Tata Motors stunned one and all on the street as all of its segments showed a strong performance. CV sales were buoyant on strong LCV sales, while PV sales were up on strong Indica and Indigo sales. TVS was a big disappointment as its market share is getting cut on strong competition all around. Given the rally witnessed in stock prices, currently we believe that the valuations of most of the auto companies seem stretched. Hence, we are neutral to underperformer on most of the auto stocks now. We however maintain Buy on M&M and Ashok Leyland.

Hero Motocorp – (TP – Rs1,996, Neutral) – Still holding on…

HMCL sold 5.2 lakh unts in January, which was a 11.55 yoy growth and a fall of 3.7% mom. This was slightly lower than our expectation of 5.25 lakh units. The YTD growth of the company now stands at 17.4%, the strongest among the two wheeler companies, while we are expecting 15% growth in FY 12. HMCL has been the only two wheeler company which is still showing traction in growth vis-à-vis other players who have shown moderation. A sudden fall in mom volume growth cannot be ruled out if HMCL is pushing volumes to the dealers.

Mahindra and Mahindra – (TP- Rs772, BUY) – Auto segment posts strong performance, FES slows down further

M&M sold 44,718 units, a 22% growth yoy while it was a growth of 5% mom. This performance was better than our expectations. Passenger UV sales in the month grew by 15% yoy to 18,446 units, which was 2% growth mom. 4W pick-up segment which includes Gio, Genio and Maxximo posted a robust 35% growth yoy as the LCV segment continued to grow at a strong pace indicating expansion in the total sub 1 tonne LCV market. Verito sales were strong in the month at 1,529 units up 37% yoy v/s ~1,300 units in December. Export sales moved up by 95% yoy  to 3,348 units with traction seen in major export markets like South Africa and US. Farm Equipment Segment (FES) which had posted a very robust growth of 71% in October almost halved in November, and moved down even further to 15,315 in December has posted a negative growth of 6% yoy in January. This was still better than what we had expected and is above the December number of ~15,500. Opening up of bookings for XUV 500 again in 19 cities of India in January will lead to a better volume performance from this model in FY 13. Since the booking have opened, XUV 500 has registered bookings of more than 5,900 units. Pan India launch will happen once the capacities move up to >5,000p.m. levels in May from current levels of 2,000 p.m.

Maruti Suzuki – (TP – Rs 1015, Underperformer)- Strong recovery

Maruti Suzuki (MSIL)‘s sales in January came at 115,433 units as compared to 92,161 units, 25% growth on mom basis, while on yoy basis it  was up by 5.2%. In a scenario where petrol prices are moving up, the bread and butter segment, the mini segment of Maruti comprising Alto, Wagon R and A Star de-grew by 2.4% yoy. The compact segment comprising Swift, Ritz and Estilo showed an improvement as demand for diesel car is moving northwards on the backdrop of gap between petrol and diesel prices increasing.  Vans segment also declined by 11% yoy, but showed a good growth of ~40% mom. Exports were the star performer again as they grew by 54.3% yoy as they sold 14,386 units a jump over ~9300 units yoy, while mom, it was lower by 300 units only. However, SX4 and Dzire segments posted yoy de-growth, at 12% and 10% respectively. Any rate cut by the central bank of India may have a positive impact on the volumes, while petrol price hike will impact sales adversely and on the other hand any call on the diesel cars in upcoming budget may hamper diesel car sales. Launch of Ertiga needs to be watched out as low ground clearance may pose a setback to the company while pricing between Rs7-8 lakh will push sales.

Tata Motors – (TP- Rs253, Neutral)- Stellar performance!

January sales for the company were at 87,465 units, 16% up yoy and 6% up mom. CV sales grew by a healthy 14% yoy, out of which LCV sales were up by 15% yoy signifying LCV segment’s defiance of the macro uncertainties. New launches like the variant of Ace Zip led to the growth in LCV. MHCV sales also grew by 11%, which was a strong growth again. PV segment sales have started to pick up since last couple of months as they grew by 14% yoy on some strength coming from Indica range which was up 9% yoy on new launch of Indica Vista launched a quarter back. Utility segment sales went up by 38% yoy. Indigo range sales were smartly up by 10% yoy. Nano sales grew at 7,723 units  15% up yoy and showing a quick recovery over the past few months and lows hit at 500 units in November 2010. Continued strength in CV business aided by LCVs and recovery in PV sales have led to a solid growth in volumes of the company.

TVS Motor – (TP – Rs55, Underperformer)- Losing out to competition

TVS sold just 1.73 lakh units in January missing our estimate of 1.82 lakh by a good margin. This was a growth of just 3% mom and 5% yoy. Scooters segment grew by just 2% yoy to 41,469 units, while motorcycle sales in January reported a de-growth of 5%. Three wheelers are posting a consistently disappointing performance as the company sold just 2,402 units v/s 3,427 units a year ago. Mopeds segment, which is the major volume earner for TVS declined by 13.8% yoy to 45,937 units v/s its monthly run rate of~64,000 units. With rising competition in the scooter segment, slowdown in motorcycle segment and structural weakness in 3wheeler segment , we now believe TVS will be a laggard in the 2W segment.

Two wheelers hit a roadblock, 4 wheelers better than expectations

 In a lean month of December, 4 wheeler companies posted a good performance despite severe pressures in terms of consumer sentiments, higher cost of ownership, high fuel prices, maintenance shutdowns at few companies and expected slowdown in demand. Maruti continued to sell more than 90,000 units, while M&M sold >42,000 units of auto sales including SUVs, LCVs and 3 wheelers, which was a good growth. Tata Motors also improved its PV sales performance with Nano putting one of its best performances in the recent past. On the CV side, LCVs continued their robust performance while MHCV grew within their limits. 2 wheeler sales spoiled the otherwise good show from the auto pack, as Bajaj Auto posted a dismal show and TVS Motor put up a suppressed growth. Going forward, with seasonally strong Q4 coming up, we see some recovery in auto sales. Any cut in interest rates or any moves by the government in budget like application of higher excise duty on diesel cars will be the triggers to the sector. Expected price hikes from most of the players may have a contra-intuitive impact on the volume performance of the sector. We continue our cautious view on the sector.

Bajaj Auto – (Under review) – Unexpected weakness witnessed

Bajaj posted a very disappointing sales performance in December as sales plummeted by 18% mom to 3,05,000 units, while growing at just 10% yoy.  Motorcycle sales were up 8% yoy and down 21% mom. A maintenance shutdown for 4-5 days, increasing inventories at the dealers’ end, weakening demand for premium segment two wheelers and lukewarm response to the recent launch of Boxer bike led to a tepid performance by Bajaj Auto. Exports de-grew by 7% mom while growing by 25% yoy. Going forward, as retail inventory gets cleaned up and seasonally good Q4 comes up, we are expecting Bajaj Auto to get back to the level of >350,000 units.

Hero Motocorp – (TP – Rs1,928, Neutral) – Solid resilience!

HMCL has surprisingly held a 5.4 lakh units  of sales  performance, a growth of 7.8% yoy and flat growth mom.  The company is a proxy to the rural growth in India and continues to post stellar numbers on growing rural economy even when its competitors are faltering. We expect them to put up a volume growth of 15% in FY 12, however we are concerned about competition coming up from Honda in FY 13 as they are rapidly ramping up the capacities against Hero who are at nascent stage of setting up new capacities which may become a constraint to their  growth. Slightly stretched valuations and margin concerns are other worries.

Mahindra and Mahindra – (TP- Rs889, BUY) – Auto segment posts decent performance, FES slows down

M&M sold 42,761 units, a 26% growth yoy while it was a growth of 5% mom. UV sales in the month grew by 23% yoy to 18,078 units, which was 8% growth mom. 4W pick-up segment which includes Gio, Genio and Maxximo posted a robust 35% growth yoy as the LCV segment continued to grow at a strong pace indicating expansion in the total sub 1 tonne LCV market. Verito sales were strong in the month at 1,263 units up 41% yoy v/s 896 units. Export sales moved up by 89% yoy  to 2,870 units with traction seen in major export markets like South Africa and US. Farm Equipment Segment (FES) which had posted a very robust growth of 71% in October almost halved to 17,527 as inventory correction happened in November and moved down even further to 15,315 in December and we expect the current monthly run rate of tractors to be maintained, thus punching a growth of close to 18% in FY 12. Opening up of bookings for XUV 500 again in 5 cities of Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai and Delhi in January will lead to a better volume performance from this model in FY 13. Pan India launch will happen once the capacities move up to >5,000p.m. levels in May from current levels of 2,000 p.m.

Maruti Suzuki – (TP – Rs 887, Underperformer)- Stable sales performance

Maruti Suzuki (MSIL)‘s sales in December came at 92,161 units, flattish mom, while on yoy basis it was down by 7% as consumer sentiments in PV industry deteriorated off late. The flattish growth indicates signs of stability at Maruti’s end even when there was a maintenance shutdown at their plants. Had the  shutdown not been there, sales would have come close to 100,00 level. In a scenario where petrol prices are moving up, the bread and butter segment, the mini segment of Maruti comprising Alto, Wagon R and A Star de-grew by 16% yoy. The compact segment comprising Swift, Ritz and Estilo remained flat yoy.  Vans segment also declined by 42% yoy. Exports were the star performer as they grew by 50.5% yoy s they sold 14,686 units a jump over 11,000 run rate observed over the past few months. However, SX4 and Dzire segments posted growth, at 11% and 6% respectively. Any rate cut by the central bank of India may have a positive impact on the volumes, while petrol price hike will impact sales adversely. New launches from competitors add fuel to this. The upcoming auto expo in January will see two MPV launches from Maruti (one being named as Ertiga).

Tata Motors – (TP- Rs195, Neutral)- Performance par excellence!

December sales for the company were at 82,278 units, 22% up yoy and 7% up mom. CV sales grew by a healthy 14% yoy, out of which LCV sales were up by 20% yoy signifying LCV segment’s defiance of the macro uncertainties. New launches like the variant of Ace Zip led to the growth in LCV. MHCV sales also grew by 5%. PV segment sales have started to pick up since last couple of months as they grew by 47% yoy on some strength coming from Indica range which was up 57% yoy on new launch of Indica Vista launched a quarter back. Utility segment sales went up by 35% yoy. Indigo range sales were smartly up by 32% yoy. Nano sales grew at 7,466 units  29% up yoy and showing a quick recovery over the past few months and lows hit at 500 units in November 2010.

TVS Motor – (TP – Rs60, BUY)- Still below the monthly mark of 2lakh…

TVS Motor failed again this month to sell 2 lakh units. In October they had missed due to an unexpected maintenance shutdown. However, the fall in November came on weak motor cycle sales and the same continued in December as well. Total sales showed a flattish to a slight negative growth on yoy basis at 170,428 units, while sequentially they de-grew by 3%. Scooter sales grew by 7%, while motor cycle sales declined by 8%. Bloating up of inventory pipeline on weak retail demand led to such an underperformance. TVS’s 3 wheeler sales are on a lower trajectory as they sold just 2,523 units from 3,431 units sold in last December. Exports grew by 6% yoy. We believe that 15% volume guidance by management looks too optimistic. We expect 9% growth from TVS this year. In view of attractive valuations, upcoming new launches and economies of scale, we remain positive on TVS even after factoring 9% volume growth this year and 11% next year.

We recently met the management of Mahindra Finance. These are some of the key highlights.

Rural and semi urban markets are growing at 20% plus rates versus urban and metros where growth rates have dropped considerably.

Multi product multi application and multi customer is the way forward. These benefits lower concentration to particular states which reduces state specific risks. This is one of the reasons the company is reasonably sure of not breaching the gross npa levels of FY08 and FY09.

The process of securitization which was dead post the draft guidelines have once again begun and the company has securitized Rs300 crs in November 2011. However the difference is in the process of accounting for securitization revenue which has moved from the upfront accounting to amortization

Public sector banks which were aggressive in the market have lowered their enthusiasm as they are battling issues of credit loss and customer defaults. Hence competition has intensity has come down

The company is not strapped for asset growth. Even on its internal benchmark of financing 40% M&M vehicles it is at the 30% mark leaving ample room for growth within the parent portfolio. Outside M&M portfolio, it has tied up with Hyundai, Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland.  It has built relationships with dealers and OEMs and hence a certain process of growth is an automatic process.

This year the focus will be on liabilities (securitization guidelines, acquiring excess liquidity from banks and diversifying sources) and on policies (the regulator has tightened the screws on consumer lending, Usha Tharot Committee report)

The company will continue to access the variability of the market through – collection efficiencies and the regular nomenclature – underline cash flows of the product – dealer pressure on financing activities. Based on these activities the company takes a call on LTVs and product strategy and growth level targets.

Weakening Rupee & Dividend Yield Stocks

With the rupee weakening by more than 19% this year we find ourselves caught up in an inflationary environment despite a series of rate hikes by the RBI. India Inc is now caught in a scenario of slack demand, rising input costs ,wage costs and interest cost coupled with MTM losses on its FX loans. In such a scenario it is no surprise that Infosys continues to remain a safe heaven for investors as it will continue to report earnings growth and has proven ability of displaying the best organic revenue growth among leading IT companies over the past 10 years with a return on capital of more than 65%.  

As the market continues to hide in IT stocks like Infosys, TCS & HCL Technologies in times of rupee weakening, the thirst for good dividend yield stocks beyond the NIFTY FIFTY is still prevailent and we find that the steep rupee depreciation has now caught up with some of the so called “Dividend Yield” stories which are part of the BSE 500. One such example is the Pune based pipe producer – Finolex Industries which apparently has a dividend yield of 7% at the current price- but one look at its debt equity and import intensity is enough to get the sense that earnings would degrow thereby casting a shadow on such dividend yield themes. It is for this reason that we like free cash generating business and prefer to buy such business for dividend yield despite low growth and when you do get growth out of such business then you reap it big like in the case of the cigarette company – VST Industries.

OIL India – going strong

Q2FY12 crude oil & natural gas production were record highs for the company.

Crude oil production rate has been increasing continuously and OIL is presently producing crude at a rate of 3.96 MMTPA (FY12 MoU target: 3.76 MMT). This is noteworthy as most of its production is coming from aging fields in the North East. There has been a steady growth in oil production since the last 3 years through induction of new technologies and accelerated exploration and drilling campaign. Q2 FY12 production rate is even higher than the FY13 MoU target of 3.91 MMT.

Gas production is set to increase at CAGR of 7.1% from FY11-13 driven by steady production from its NE & Rajasthan fields and monetization of contingent reserves. Gas supply to Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) would also be ramped up to 1 mmscmd. Revision in APM & non-APM gas prices after FY14 is expected to provide another jump to gas sales going forward.

We assume 39% of the gross subsidy burden to be borne by the upstream sector in perpetuity. Taking into account the fact that the upstream sector has shared 33% of the subsidy burden in H1 FY12, we expect the upstream sector to share 51% of the total under recoveries for H2 FY12. However, we expect OIL to post FY12 net realization of $ 67/bbl.

Oil India will also be holding a Board Meeting on Dec 20, 2011 to consider the declaration of Interim Dividend for FY12. As the company is holding a cash balance of Rs 136 bn as of Sept 2011 which translates into a whopping Rs 565/share, we expect a big dividend which will act as a trigger for the stock price.

We maintain our BUY rating with a target price of Rs 1,526.

Mixed bag in Motown

With festive season falling completely in the month of October, November was seasonally a lean month for a few companies sequentially. However, on a yoy basis, most of the companies have posted strong growths. TVS numbers were disappointing in line, while Maruti, Hero and Tata Motors exceeded our expectations. M&M’s UV sales were robust in line, while FES segment sales were below our expectations.  Maruti saw a sequential rise on the back of labor issues getting settled off in November, while Hero Motocorp surprised the street with resilient demand and a sequential growth. Going forward, some moderation in growth is expected to set off in the auto sector with macro concerns like inflation, fuel costs and interest rates remain high. Within the 2 wheeler sector, there will be lower yoy growth rates due to high base effect and with competition setting to increase with Honda’s aggressive strategy impacting profitability. Bajaj Auto’s domestic growth will remain weak, but exports are expected to boost the overall sales, while Hero will observe subdued growth on higher base and capacity constraints over the next one year. M&M will continue posting strong UV sales while FES segment will observe moderation from October sales numbers, as seen in November. Any hike in excise duty on diesel vehicles may impact UV sales. Tata Motors will see positive movement in their CV sales as CV cycle is expected to turn strong if interest rates no more increase from here.

Hero Motocorp – (TP – Rs1,928, Underperformer) – Unexpected sequential surge!

HMCL has surprisingly posted a sequential 5% growth at 5.36 lakh units above our expectations. On a yoy basis, the company posted a 27% yoy growth. The company is a proxy to the rural growth in India and continues to post stellar numbers on growing rural economy. However, on the back of stretched valuations, we believe that the stock is factoring all the expected positives like the upcoming production plant, foreign venture and improvement in margins on softening RM costs. Market news suggest that slowing down on the macro front may force the company to put their expansion plans on the backburner, which may lead to capacity constraints on them.

Mahindra and Mahindra – (TP- Rs889, BUY) – Sequential decline in FES segment, UVs remain robust

M&M sold 40,722 units, a 53% growth yoy while it was slightly down on mom basis. UV sales in the month grew by 46% yoy to 16,686 units, which was flattish mom. 4W pick-up segment which includes Gio, Genio and Maxximo posted a robust 74% growth yoy as the LCV segment continued to grow at a strong pace indicating expansion in the total sub 1 tonne LCV market. Verito sales were soft in the month at 1,127 units , down 38% mom v/s 1,818 units. Export sales moved up by 71% yoy with traction seen in major export markets. Farm Equipment Segment (FES) which had posted a very robust growth of 71% in October almost halved to 17,527 as inventory correction happened in this month and we expect the current monthly run rate of tractors to slightly improve hereon and grow close to 17-18% in FY12. The festive launch of new SUV XUV500 priced in the range of Rs11-14 lakhs is expected to boost the UV sales as it has already attracted bookings of 8000 units in Tier 1 cities and the company has stopped taking any more orders. Capacity ramp up of XUV500 will boost UV sales going forward and also provide margin traction.

Maruti Suzuki – (TP – Rs 930, Underperformer)- Month on month numbers improve on resolution of labor unrest, however decline in FY 12 inevitable

Maruti Suzuki (MSIL)‘s sales in November came at 91,772 units, a sharp growth of 65% mom, while on yoy basis it was down by 18% as labor unrest got resolved in November. However, macro factors are spoiling the game as PV sector is struggling to gain its lost luster. The bread and butter segment, the mini segment de-grew by 27% yoy as it is the petrol portfolio of MSIL and rising petrol prices have taken a toll on this segment. The compact segment fell by 4% yoy.  Vans segment also declined by 34.5% yoy. Exports were down by 11.4% yoy. However, SX4 and Dzire segments posted growth, albeit in a single digit. We do not see Maruti to punch more than one lakh units in the near future and hence report a negative growth in FY 12. Additionally December may see a maintenance shutdown which may hit volumes by ~8000-10,000. MSIL’s market share in the first half of the year has gone down below 40%. Going forward, the recent and any more hike in interest rate by RBI will lead to it getting passed to customers sooner or later, which will further impact demand. New launches from competitors and fuel price hikes will add fuel to this. Hence, we believe that Maruti will continue to underperform its peers and the auto industry over the next one year.

Tata Motors – (TP- Rs195, Neutral)- Festive mood continues

November sales for the company were at 76,823 units, 41% up yoy and 11% up mom. CV sales grew by a healthy 28% yoy, out of which LCV sales were up by 41% yoy, signifying regaining of market share lost in October. New launches like the variant of Ace Zip led to the growth. MHCV sales also grew by a good 9%. This reflects strong CV sales despite macro headwinds. PV segment sales showed recovery as they grew by 81% on some strength coming from Indica Vista (up 91% yoy) on new launch of Indica Vista launched couple of months back. Utility segment sales went up by 35% yoy. Indigo range sales were slightly up by 3% yoy. Nano sales grew at 6,401 units on 3,868 units mom and 506 units yoy.

TVS Motor – (TP – Rs79, BUY)- Disappointing month

TVS Motor failed again this month to sell 2 lakh units. In October they had missed due to an unexpected maintenance shutdown. However, the fall in November came on weak motor cycle sales. This was in line with our expectations. Total sales grew by 12% yoy, while sequentially they de-grew by 5%. Scooter sales grew by 22%, while motor cycle sales remained flat. Exports grew by 53% yoy. Management still maintains their guidance of 15% volume growth with YTD growth close to 12.5%. They expect Q4 to be very strong on seasonality and couple of new launches.

MRPL – play the refining cycle

Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals is expanding its refinery to 15 MMT by Jan/Feb 2012. The expansion will witness the refinery complexity rising from 5.5 to 9, which will be helpful for maximizing GRM. The expanded refinery will also consist of a 2.2 MMTPA Polypropylene (PP) FCCU which will mark the entry of the company into the petrochemical space. The PP unit is expected to achieve mechanical completion by Apr 2012 and commissioning by Jun 2012. Excellent product slate of the expanded refinery, due to reduction in fuel oil and introduction of PP, is expected to result in GRM jumping by ~$ 3.5/bbl during FY12-13. Realization for PP is currently ~$ 1500/ton, which is almost double that of other refined products. We estimate GRM of $ 5.1/bbl and $ 8.7/bbl in FY12 & FY13 respectively.

Upon completion of the expansion project, MRPL would be eligible for a 7 yr tax holiday under section 80IB of Income Tax Act. The company is also in talks with Karnataka State Govt. for Rs 1.25 bn Sales Tax deferment benefit, Rs 0.9 bn of CST benefit, Rs 0.8 bn of saving of Entry Tax on crude and one-time benefit of Rs 3 bn on exemption of Entry Tax on project benefits. GRM will be significantly higher than our estimates if the company is granted these tax incentives.

We value MRPL using a target EV/EBITDA multiple of 6x on FY13E EBITDA and reiterate BUY with a target price of Rs 81, which translates to upside of above 30%.

Savings Bank Interest finally deregulated

Saving bank account interest rate deregulation has finally arrived. The first banks to lead the way with higher rates were the ones with nothing much to lose namely Yes Bank, IndusInd Bank and Kotak Bank. Low saving deposit balance meant that these banks have a greater scope as the gap between SA and term deposits remains a 400-450 bps gap.  The mammoths of the banking system have yet to budge. I understand the insistence that saving accounts are transaction related products. However, with standardization across transaction banking services and the small banks named above no less technologically savvy my guess is the argument won’t last too long.  So should we expect a rush at branches for account opening applications? Unfortunately the answer is NO. The reason being, large banks continue to enjoy huge network, yes it does matter even in the days of internet banking and cross linkages of ATMs, and not to mention transaction related tie ups and linkages. Savings account products are convenience related and with real interest rates negative on most retail deposits, it is hard to imagine savings accounts as the next investment vehicle. So will the large banks increase saving account rates? I believe that eventually they will, things have a way of balancing out, it’s just my hunch but they are holding off as long as they can.

There also seems a split in the nature of customers and between banks. One is the urban and rural divide. Rural customers sub Rs1 lakh deposits are a lot more loyal to banks. Can’t blame them really, a trip outside of the metros and Tier I cities will explain the presence PSU banks have built. PSU banks have thrived on this fact and dominate this category of rural and semi urban customers. The issue now comes to urban centers and metros. Here there is a mix of the sub Rs1 lac and higher depositor and PSU and Private Banks. This is where large banks cannot write off the rate increase by smaller technologically advanced new generation banks.  

A lot has been said on the subject over the past 2 weeks and a number of citations have been made of developed countries offering deregulated rates. However, there aren’t any free lunches. Deregulation has been introduced at a time when money supply is under pressure and banks may be pulling all strings to maintain a low cost deposit base. Hence we are experiencing a rising saving rate cycle. However, just like the pattern in developed countries this could reverse itself when money supply is easy. Also, banks could impose a levy on transaction services offered to saving account holders or pass higher cost of funds through higher base rate. From what we have seen over the past 2-3 quarters bankers are in no mood to absorb higher rates and if their second quarter margins are intact it only means that they have passed on the increase in cost of funds.