A new study has revealed that women with obesity are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. The study conducted at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh revealed that around 44 percent of women diagnosed with cardiovascular disease (CVD) at the institute are obese.
It also revealed that only 1 percent of them include adequate fruits and vegetables in their daily diet. The study was conducted over the past three years.
Dr Neelam Dahiya, assistant professor, Department of Cardiology, PGIMER, Chandigarh highlighted that CVDs pose a high risk to individuals with obesity, sedentary lifestyle, stress, hypertension and diabetes in India.
According to a report by the Hindustan Times, Dr. Dahiya also revealed that among the total female patients, suffering from cardiovascular disease, around 15 percent were aged less than 50 and another 10% were aged below 40, which was an alarming situation. The study was presented at a continuing medical education (CME) event in the city.
She also highlighted that the risk factors of heart disease are more common in women. She also pointed out that women with heart disease are more likely to have adverse effects as compared to men.
Meanwhile, Dr Rama Walia from the Department of Endocrinology, PGIMER, claimed that obesity is a pandemic and the incidences are increasing more among women than men.
The experts also revealed that although the impact of obesity is widely known, very few healthcare professionals make the effort to inform patients about the ill effects of the lifestyle disorder.
According to Dr. Dahiya, only 47 percent women were advised to reduce salt intake and less than 30 percent were suggested to quit smoking and consume a healthy diet.
She also emphasised that there is an urgent need to increase awareness about CVD among women and take immediate steps to address this pressing issue.
Reportedly, PGIMER is also set to launch a preventive clinic for risk assessment. The clinic will use risk estimation tools according to age, obesity, hypertension, activity level, family history, diabetes, etc., and offer interventions to prevent CVD.
Q4 results today: Lupin, Marico, Indian Bank, and 48 other companies declared earnings.
In FY24, the company's revenue from operations declined to Rs 16,292.97 crore from Rs 17,306.16 crore it reported in FY23.
For the whoel year, the company recorded a decline in its net profit standing at Rs 1,142.77 crore from Rs 1,525.47 crore it posted in FY23.
The revenue from operations stood at Rs 4,293.86 crore in Q4 FY24 from Rs 4,073.82 crore in Q4 FY23.
The company's net profit for the period came in at Rs 409.54 crore in Q4 FY24, against Rs 369.22 crore it reported in the same period a year ago.
We inform you that the board also recommended dividend i.e. Rs 5.66 per equity share of Rs 2/- each to the shareholders for the financial year 2023-24, in the same meeting, which will be paid subject to approval of shareholders in the Annual General Meeting.
M&A and management changes: Like in previous months, ACN remained active with four acquisitions. Infosys added ER&D capabilities to its kitty with acquisition of in-tech. There were notable changes in senior management, with Srini Pallia appointed as the new CEO of Wipro. LTIMindtree saw two exits in Executive Vice President – Global Sales roles.
Deal-win trend
Recovery on track: Deal-win announcements by IT Services companies declined month-on-month in April 2024 as deal announcements in North America were weak. However, the commentary by the IT services companies that have declared March quarterly results signal that the demand slowdown has likely bottomed out and there are some green shoots emerging, especially in BFSI. Deal wins total contract value for most companies that have announced March quarterly results improved sequentially, said Kumar Rakesh, Analyst of IT & Auto at BNP Paribas India.
Unity Small Finance Bank's net profit in Q4 FY24 rises to Rs 143 crore from a net loss of Rs 52 crore in the same period a year ago. Its net interest margin stood at 10.8%. While the net interest income came in at Rs 281 crore in Q4 FY24 against Rs 181 crore in the previous year of the corresponding period. For the whole year, the company's net profit rose to Rs 439 crore from Rs 35 it posted in FY23.
Gujarat Fluorochemicals board has recommended an annual dividend of 300 % i.e., Rs. 3 per equity share of face value of Re. 1.
"We tweak our earnings estimates for FY25 and FY26 and estimate revenue, EBITDA, PAT CAGR at 17.1%, 20.7%, and 20.7% respectively. The consistent growth in both margins and performance, coupled with robust returns (27.5%/20.3% RoCE/RoE in FY24), along with optimistic guidance, compel us to assign a premium valuation to the company compared to its peers. Maintain "Hold" at a revised target price of Rs 4,032 (Rs 3,692 earlier), valuing at 43x FY26 earnings," said Prabhudas Lilladher on KEI Industries.
The board of directors of Marico declared a second interim dividend of Rs 6.50 per equity share of Re. 1 each at its meeting held on February 27, 2024. Together with the first interim dividend of Rs 3.00 per equity share declared on October 30, 2023, the total dividend for the year ended March 31, 2024, amounts to Rs 9.50 per equity share of Re 1 each.
The company's total expenses in the last quarter of the financial year 2023-24 declined by 0.68% on year from Rs 1,907 crore it reported in Q4 FY23.
The company reported a revenue of Rs 2,278 crore in Q4 FY24, up 1.6% on year, compared with Rs 2,240 crore it posted in the same period a year ago.
The company's net profit grew to Rs 320 crore in the quarter ending March of FY24 from Rs 305 crore it reported in the same period a year ago, up 5% on year.
"As utilization and volumes continue to ramp up, we expect strong growth to continue ahead. We believe JSW Infrastructure will continue to gain market share and grow faster than the market for the next few years. Capacity addition plans would allow it to capitalize on the opportunity in the port logistics space. We largely retain our estimates and expect a CAGR of 15%/23%/27%/ 30% in volume/revenue/EBITDA/PAT over FY24-26. We maintain our "Buy" rating with a target price of Rs 300 (based on 18x FY26E EV/EBITDA)," said Motilal Oswal on JSW Infrastructure.
"Despite the recent aggressive competition, MRF has regained its leadership in the domestic truck replacement segment. FY24 seems to be the peak margin for MRF and the tyre sector. We believe, there are limited positive triggers for the tyre industry in the current environment, while price increases in an environment of softening demand may be monitored. Expect the margin to dip from 16.9% in FY24 to 15.4% and 15.6% in FY25 and FY26, given the bottoming of raw material cost, intensifying competition and factoring in the impact of the EPR regulation," said Elara Securities on MRF post Q4 earnings.
"We believe EPR costs would be recurring in nature, which, combined with rising raw material costs, could hurt EBITDA margin in the upcoming quarters. We lower our FY25 and FY26 consolidated EPS by 12% and 10%, respectively, to factor in commodity headwinds and EPR provisions. We maintain "Sell" with a target price of Rs 92,000 (18x Mar’26E EPS), as the stock trades at 25x FY26E EPS (above its 10-year LPA of ~22x), which we believe does not reflect its weakening competitive position and deteriorating return profile," said Motilal Oswal post Q4 earnings.
Indian Bank's net interest inome grew 9.2% on year to Rs 6,015.4 crore in the quarter ending March FY24, against Rs 5,508.32 crore in Q4 of FY23.
Indian Bank's net profit for the period came in at Rs 2,247 crore in Q4 FY24 from Rs 1,447.28 crore in Q4 FY23, up 55.25% on year.
Indian Bank has declared a dividend of Rs 12 per share while announcing its quarterly results for the quarter ending March of FY24. "Recommended dividend of Rs.12.00 per Equity Share i.e @ 120% of paid up Equity Capital of the Bank for the Financial Year 2023-24," said the bank in an exchange filing.
"We believe the company will continue to surprise on growth, cash flows, and margins, given its strong pipeline and healthy realizations, which have been the key investor concerns. We reiterate our "Buy" rating with an increased target price of Rs 3,000, implying 17% potential upside," said Motilal Oswal.
Fresh slippages increased 11% sequentially to Rs 13.1 billion. GNPA improved 34 basis points QoQ to 1.4%, while NNPA remained stable at 0.34%. PCR declined 464 basis points QoQ to 75.9% as the bank carried out higher write-offs in the unsecured segment. "We fine tune our earnings estimate; we estimate the bank’s RoA/RoE at 2.3% and 14.1% by FY26. Reiterate "Neutral" with a target pricr of Rs 1,700 (based on 1.8x FY26E ABV + Rs 565 for subsidiaries)," said Motilal Oswal in a research report.
Britannia Industries rallied 9.7% to an intraday high of Rs 5,205.45 after the company declared its earnings for the quarter ending March of FY24. However, the company’s net profit declined by 3.76% on year but, its revenue grew by over 1% on year. The brokerages expect the company to grow in FY25. The stock was the top gainer in the Nifty 50.
The company witnessed strong rebound in demand in Q4FY24. With the improved sector outlook, UltraTech’s capacity expansion plans and cost efficiency measures will benefit the company’s profitability. "However, we believe that the company is currently trading at high valuation levels and therefore, we upgrade our rating on the stock to "Hold" with a revised target price of Rs 10,670 based on 15.5x FY26E EV/EBITDA," said Geojit Financial Services.
Symphony’s profitability doubled, owing to above normal temperatures in Indian regions and decent summer overseas. The intensified heat wave in India and overseas, ongoing transition and improving performance of subsidiaries are key growth factors. "We reiterate to "Accumulate" with a revised target price of Rs 1,151 based on 35x FY26E adjusted EPS," said Geojit Financial Services.
"As per the bank, RBI action may affect PBT by Rs 3-4.5 billion. Stock is valued at 1.6x and we cut multiple to 2.5x from 3.3x as (1) key personnel viz. MD&CEO, Joint MD and CFO have resigned or retired (2) RBI directive impacts our FY25/26E core PAT by 2.4%/5.2%. Rolling forward to Mar'26 ABV we cut the target price to Rs 2,100 from Rs 2,250. Retain a "Buy" rating on the stock," said Prabhudas Lilladher on Kotak Mahindra Bank.
The near-term growth outlook appears subdued due to high gold inflation affecting demand sentiments, which is a typical trend during inflationary periods. However, despite the near-term jitteriness, the company remains aggressive in its growth outlook, driven by new store additions, attractive designs, and market share gains, et al. Titan also maintains a Jewellry EBIT margin of 12-13% for FY25. "We will monitor the near-term consumption trend. However, due to competitive pressure on margins, we cut our EPS estimates by 6% and 5% for FY25 and 26, respectively," said Motilal Oswal in a research report. The brokerage firm has maintained its "Buy" rating on the stock with a target price of Rs 4,100 per equity share.