13 April 2010

Infosys Q4 profit at Rs 1617 crore; FY10 net up 5%

Infosys Q4 profit at Rs 1,617 crore; FY'10 net up 5%


Infosys to hire 30K this fiscal; hike wages by upto 17%


MUMBAI: IT major Infosys Technologies today reported a marginal rise of 0.25 per cent in consolidated net profit at Rs 1,617 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2010. ( Watch )

The company had a net profit of Rs 1,613 crore in the March quarter of the previous fiscal (2008-09), Infosys said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Income from software services, products and business process management rose to Rs 5,944 crore for the fourth quarter from Rs 5635 crore in the year-ago period.

The company's cash and cash equivalents stood at $3.5 billion at the end of March 31, 2010.

"We maintained our margins in one of the toughest years for the industry. The currency volatility continues to be a concern for the industry. We have an active hedging programme to minimise its impact on our margins," Infosys CFO V Balakrishnan said.

For the year ended March 31, the IT bellwether posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 6,266 crore, up 4.64 per cent over the year-ago period.


The board has declared a final dividend of Rs 15 per share for the fiscal on every share of Rs 5 held.

Shares of Infosys were trading at Rs 2,668.45, down 0.55 per cent over the previous close on BSE.

During the fiscal, income from software services, products and business process management rose to Rs 22,742 crore from Rs 21,693 crore in the previous fiscal (2008-09).

"We have been able to take advantage of the opportunities in the market and grow faster due to our investments in capacity and capability building even during the economic downturn," Infosys CEO and MD S Gopalakrishnan said.

Infosys, which has Goldman Sachs, BT Group and BP Plc among its clients, added 47 clients during the quarter.

At the end of March 31, the company had 1,13,796 employees, which includes a net addition of 3,914 staff during the fourth quarter.

"Though the economic environment continues to be challenging, businesses are investing in growth for building a better future," Gopalakrishnan added.

On a standalone basis, the company has posted a net profit at Rs 1,430 crore for the March quarter, a decline of 8.85 per cent over the same period last fiscal.


Nifty ends flat; IT index jumps 3% on Infy nos



Src:ET and Moneycontrol


Morning calls

Top 5 picks I Mid-term picks


Eight of the 10 best-performing currencies are from emerging markets


Nifty faces strong resistance at 5400


Jagran Prakashan hits bull's eye

Royal Orchid good for long term investors

Stocks in news: HCC, DCB, PVR, Rolta, Geojit BNP, Bharti



Television Eighteen


Reliance Industries, Banking, Telecom


Valuations


Hindustan Zinc


IVRCL


ICICI Bank


Reliance Industries Limited


Pantaloon Retail


Results Calendar



Src: ET and DP blog etc

09 April 2010

RIL to invest $1.7 bn for Marcellus JV with Atlas Energy

RIL to invest $1.7 bn for Marcellus JV with Atlas Energy

NEW DELHI: Making a breakthrough in the US, Reliance Industries today said it will invest $1.7 billion in a joint venture with Atlas Energy Inc to produce gas from shale, sedimentary rocks, in Marcellus region. ( Watch )

The investment would be scaled up to $3.5 billion over the next 10 years, RIL CFO Alok Agarwal said.

Reliance will take 40 per cent stake in the about 300,000 acres Marcellus shale gas project, which spans parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New York and could hold enough natural gas to satisfy US demand for a decade.

Nasdaq-listed Atlas will hold the remaining 60 per cent and also the operatorship. RIL had earlier unsuccessfully bid for acquiring controlling stake in bankrupt chemical maker LyondellBassel.

It bid $14.5 billion for Lyondell but the offer was vetoed by creditors who filed a rival revival plan.

Flush with revenues from its eastern offshore KG-D6 gas field back home, the Mukesh Ambani-run firm has been on the lookout of acquisitions in the United States. Separately, its twin refineries at Jamnagar in Gujarat are looking at directly selling fuel into the US.

"Reliance Marcellus LLC (a subsidiary of RIL) has executed definitive agreements to enter into a joint venture with US based Atlas Energy Inc... under which Reliance will acquire a 40 per cent interest in Atlas' core Marcellus Shale acreage position," the company said in a statement.

The Indian firm will pay $339 million in cash to close the deal and foot Atlas' drilling cost of up to $1.36 billion.

"The (300,000 acres) acreage will support the drilling of over 3,000 wells with a net resource potential of about 13.3 trillion cubic feet gas equivalent," the RIL statement said, adding that the deal is expected to be closed by the month end.

Shale gas is natural gas stored in organic-rich sedimentary rocks. It is considered an unconventional source as the gas may be attached to or "adsorbed" onto organic matter. The gas is contained in difficult-to-produce reservoirs that require special completion, stimulation and/or production techniques to achieve economic production.



In addition to funding its own 40 per cent of drilling obligations, Reliance has agreed to fund 75 per cent of Atlas' respective portion of drilling and completion costs until the $1.36 billion drilling carry is fully utilized, Atlas said in a separate statement.

"Under the framework of the joint venture, Atlas will continue acquiring leasehold in the Marcellus region and Reliance will have the option to acquire 40 per cent share in all new acreages," Reliance said. "Reliance also obtains the right of first offer with respect to potential future sales by Atlas of around 280,000 additional Appalachian acres currently controlled by Atlas (not included in the present joint venture)."


Reliance finds more gas in KG basin: Report

RIL makes 4 new gas discoveries at KG D6: Sources

Atlas Energy inks $1.7 bn Marcellus Shale JV with RIL



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Src:ET and Moneycontrol

Morning calls

Mid term picks of the day | Top five picks of the day


Pre market: Stocks seen lower on jittery Asia


SAIL plummets over 7% on divestment move

Revival to help Mahindra Lifespaces

Infosys mulls special dividend, say brokerages

Essar Oil jumps 3pc on parent's LSE listing plan

Stocks in news: DB Corp, RPG Cables, Tata Motors, Mid-Day

Greece plunges deeper into crisis, banks, euro hit



India Retail


Greek fears resurface to head Asia lower


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07 April 2010

Morning calls

Heard on Street: Insurance cos lap up NMDC


Insurance companies lap up NMDC stock



Shares of NMDC, a state-owned iron ore producer, have rebounded from recent lows. There is talk that insurance companies, both private and public sector, have lapped up the stock in recent sessions amid speculation that the company could move to quarterly pricing in line with the recently-introduced global practice. Grapevine has it that an insurance major has bought the stock, when it fell to around Rs 283 last week. On Tuesday, the stock rose 1.6% to Rs 303.20.

Bears seen sniffing around SBI counter

With the market on an uptrend, bears are looking for some stocks they can safely short sell, without losing much sleep. After a quick reading, this group appears to have arrived at the consensus that State Bank of India best fits the bill. The recent RBI rule that banks should pay interest on savings deposits on a daily basis, is expected to pinch SBI the most, as the bank has the most number of savings accounts, so feel the bears. Grapevine is that the Old Fox, and the owner of the Big ‘Bang’ brokerage are said to be among those building short positions in the stock.

Religare’s banking unit on a poaching spree

The investment banking and institutional broking arm of Religare Enterprises continues to aggressively ramp up its senior level, even as rivals are amazed at the salaries being offered by the Delhi-head quartered financial services firm. The company, which has in the recent past poached key personnel from foreign brokerages to beef up its talent pool, is once again looking in that direction for its new strategist. The buzz on the Street is that the new hire is the second in command of the research team at a leading investment bank which claims to have trouble getting sleep.

Networth’s Satish Pasari moves to rival firm

Satish Pasari, who heads the institutional business at BSE-listed Networth Stock Broking, is said to have put in his papers, and will shortly be joining a rival firm. The low-profile Mr Pasari is said to have been instrumental in setting up the retail, wealth management and institutional businesses of the brokerage. When contacted, Mr Pasari declined to comment. Networth had recently hired around two dozen professionals in sales, dealing and research to spruce up its presence in the derivative and quant-trading segments.

(Contributed by Nishanth Vasudevan, Santosh Nair, Deeptha Rajkumar & Apurv Gupta)

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Top 5 picks | Mid-term picks


'I'll give India 2 more brands bigger than Ranbaxy'


Top 10 Equity Funds in 2009-10


Nifty to trade in 5200-5400 range

Godrej Consumers should make a new 52-week high: Devangvisaria.com

Mahindra & Mahindra, Escorts look very promising: Angel Broking

This year is going to be exceptional for TVS Motor: Angel Broking

Expect modest correction: CLSA

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New teen CEOs | Gen Y CEOs | World's top 10 billionaires

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Bull's Eye: Stocks to buy today

Everyday, on this special segment, Bull's Eye, CNBC-TV18 brings you trading/investing calls from investment analysts. Today, we bring you calls
from:

Mitesh Thacker, Technical Analyst, miteshthacker.com.
Investment Advisor, SP Tulsian.

Mitesh Thacker, Technical Analyst, miteshthacker.com.


Buy Bombay Dyeing with a target of Rs 630

Buy MTNL with a target of Rs 83
Buy IFGL Refractories with a target of Rs 67
Buy Rel Comm with a target of Rs 186


Investment Advisor, SP Tulsian.

Buy Lloyd Electric with target of Rs 80
Buy ITD Cementation with target of Rs 255
Buy KNR Constructions with target of Rs 182
Buy Essar Shipping with target of Rs 100


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Daily News Roundup - Apr 7 2010


Not in the best of health!


Aditya Birla Chemicals



Src: ET and DP blog etc

05 April 2010

Resistance at 5330

Resistance at 5,330

The market pushed to a new high and then eased back to the previous week’s levels. The Nifty closed at 5,290.5 points for a nominal gain of 0.2 per cent while the Sensex was up 0.3 per cent at 17,644 points. The Defty rose 1.1 per cent as the rupee continued to strengthen.

Breadth was neutral and volumes remained on the low side. Smaller stocks outperformed the pivotals. The Junior was up 1.3 per cent while the Midcaps rose 0.7 per cent and the BSE 500 was up 0.7 per cent as well.

FIIs continued to be strong net buyers while domestic institutions remained net sellers in small quantities.

Outlook: The market established a new 52-week high but momentum and background signals were quite weak. There is strong resistance at 5,330 levels with strong support between 5,200 and 5,250. Most likely the market will remain confined to range-trading between 5,200 and 5,350. If volumes remain low, a downside breakout is more likely. A close below 5,200 could push the market down till 5,100.

Rationale: An uptrend that is not backed by volumes or by significant breadth is unlikely to be sustainable. Momentum indicators aren’t strong either. The intermediate trend has been up for nine weeks now and it could be due for a reversal. The major market trend is confirmed as bullish due to the new high, but that doesn’t preclude a reversal in intermediate or short-term trends.

Counter-view: It is a major bull-market. DII selling allied to trader selling has been a dampening factor despite strong FII buying. There could be more domestic money flowing into stocks with the new fiscal commencing. The usual tax-related liquidity crunch may be easing. Intermediate trends can last up till 12-14 weeks if they are aligned with the major market trend, as in this case. The short-term trend isn’t clearly negative. One chart reading would suggest an upside till 5,450 is possible. At the risk of tedious repetition, the issue is volumes. A volume expansion is required to force the market up.

Bulls & Bears: The bulls cycled through various sectors, buying, booking profits and moving on. At various times, financials, energy, real estate, metals, cement, engineering and construction and auto stocks saw support. All the above sectors also saw selling. If this choppy pattern continues, we will see tightly ranged trading with very stock-specific movements.

IT was the one sector that took a hammering through the week and it was by far the worst performer. The CNXIT lost 2.7 per cent with all the majors hit. This is a bad signal since Infosys and TCS will soon be coming through with 2009-10 and March quarter results and 2010-11 advisories. However, there was short-covering ahead of the long weekend. The picture with respect to banks is mixed. Private sector majors like ICICI and HDFC underperformed the PSUs and pulled the BankNifty back.

MICRO TECHNICALS

ABAN OFFSHORE
Current Price: Rs 1,199 Target Price: Rs 1,300

The stock has hit reasonable support and is now picking up volumes as well as seeing a price rise. It has the potential for a pullback till around the Rs 1,300 level. Keep a stop at Rs 1,165 and go long. Increase the position beyond Rs 1,220.


BHARTI AIRTEL
Current Price: Rs 302 Target Price: Rs 290

The stock has seen heavy selling in the past two sessions. It has a little support at current levels but if it closes below Rs 300, it will probably drop to at least Rs 290 and maybe, lower, till around Rs 280. Keep a stop at Rs 307 and go short. Increase the position below Rs 299. Book 75 per cent profit at Rs 290 and reset the stop to Rs 293.


RELIANCE INDUSTRIES
Current Price: Rs 1,092 Target Price: Rs 1,070

The stock is hitting resistance at around the Rs 1,100 mark. It is likely to slide till support at around Rs 1,070 and there is a good chance if it closes below Rs 1,070 that it will fall till around Rs 1,020. Keep a stop at Rs 1,105 and go short. Book 50 per cent profit at Rs 1,070 and reset the stop loss to Rs 1,080.


TCS
Current Price: Rs 807.80 Target Price: Rs 755

The stock has broken several supports amidst heavy selling. It is likely to slide till around the Rs 755-760 mark. Keep a stop at Rs 815 and go short. Increase the short position below Rs 795. Start booking profits below Rs 765. Be prepared for extra volatility.


TATA MOTORS
Current Price: Rs 777.65 Target Price: Rs 815

The stock has bounced from around Rs 715 and is likely to test resistance in the Rs 815-820 zone again. Keep a stop at Rs 765 and go long. Be prepared for a little extra volatility. Clear the position above the Rs 810 mark.


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Top 5 picks I Mid term picks



Bull's Eye: Cairn, Bhushan Steel, Infosys, DB Corp



Small-cap stocks offer best bet for investors


Stocks to open strong; Nifty resistance seen at 5330-5395


Bull's Eye: Cairn, Bhushan Steel, Infosys Technologies, DB Corp
5 Apr 2010, 0716 hrs IST

Here are the analysts' picks: Cairn, Bhushan Steel, Infosys Technologies, DB Corp.

US: Lehman-style accounting tricks under lens
5 Apr 2010, 0642 hrs IST

The good news this week from the Securities and Exchange Commission is that it’s on the hunt for companies that have used Lehman-style accounting tricks to make themselves look less leveraged than they really are.

High portfolio risk a concern for JM Basic
5 Apr 2010, 0639 hrs IST, Bakul Chugan Tongia

Notwithstanding JM Basic’s outstanding performance in the rallies, its high portfolio risk and inability to cushion fall in the downturn remain a concern.

Japan's $15 trillion not enough
5 Apr 2010, 0634 hrs IST

Every few years, investors get all enthusiastic about Japan. This time the recovery is for real, they argue. This time real change is afoot. This time buy yen-denominated assets and don’t look back, they conclude.

Cost of LIC's Jeevan Surabhi high
5 Apr 2010, 0630 hrs IST, Bakul Chugan Tongia

Though LIC’s Jeevan Surabhi offers a plenty of features,a closer study of the plan reveals that the cost of investing in it is rather high.

Some sectors to look for in the current fiscal
5 Apr 2010, 0629 hrs IST

As the markets touched two-year high and more and more stocks near their higher valuations, it would be difficult to take a smart investment decision.

Nifty's confidence likely to get tested near 5400
5 Apr 2010, 0623 hrs IST, Devangi Joshi

As the Dow Jones Industrial Average is aiming to conquer 11000; a one and a half year high; the Nifty's confidence is likely to get tested near 5400.

Idea Cellular to benefit from expansion in long term
5 Apr 2010, 0616 hrs IST, Ranjit Shinde

While Idea Cellular’s stock may suffer in the short run due to low tariffs and competition, the company is poised to benefit from its recent expansion in the long term.

Slow uptrend persists in markets: Deepak Mohoni
5 Apr 2010, 0616 hrs IST, Deepak Mohoni

All the indices are in an intermediate uptrend which is now nearly eight weeks old.


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'Coking coal prices to remain firm' 05-APR-10
Gujarat NRE Coke, which is the leading player in the Indian met coke industry, has been the key beneficiary of growing demand from the domestic steel industry.
Drilling profits 05-APR-10
Cairn India’s stock has delivered smart returns to investors in the last six months vis-a-vis the BSE Sensex.
Demystifying Elliott Waves 05-APR-10
Elliott waves can be recreated using the geometrical Time Triads.
Resistance at 5,330 05-APR-10
The market pushed to a new high and then eased back to the previous week’s levels.
Downside risk exceeds upsides 05-APR-10
Yet another low volatility, low-volume week passed.
Analysts' corner 05-APR-10
Driven by the 2.3 MTPA greenfield capacity expansion involving captive metallics and HR coils and the expected 10-12 per cent growth in the auto and consumer durables sectors, expect Bhushan Steel’s EBITDA/tonne to increase significantly to $320 in 2011-12 from $210 now.
Markets at a glance 05-APR-10
Key benchmark indices closed higher in a truncated week on account of Good Friday.
Smart Portfolios continues out-performance 05-APR-10
We are currently mid-way through the season 2 of Smart Portfolios .
The healthcare opportunity 05-APR-10
The US healthcare reform bill with its focus on cutting costs is likely to be beneficial for generic and CRAMS players.

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Monthly Report - March 2010


Job report to dictate momentum at Wall Street


Network 18


Daily News Roundup - Apr 5 2010


Positive momentum may prevail


Cairn India to drill 14 wells in 3 blocks by Sept-end


Maruti Suzuki sells a million units in FY10


Mahindra Satyam


Bharti Airtel Ltd


Shoppers' Stop


Proctor and Gamble


Fortis Healthcare


Adani Enterprises


Crompton Greaves





Src: ET and DP blog and Business-Standard