Investing Reflections On India

Indo Asian Fusegear sold its switchgear business to Legrand France last year.  It now plans to deploy the proceeds into the power generation business and has renamed itself ‘Eon Electric’.  The rest of the operating segments are related to power generation i.e. cables, wiring, lighting, energy metres etc.  These segments comprise about 1/3 rd the size of the business before the sale. The sale of a substantial portion of its former business makes past performance irrelevant.  The company had about 290cr of liquid assets (as at 30 th September, 2011) at its disposal for its new venture(s). Management has no track record in the business they have committed to invest the funds in, thereby increasing the risk of loss.  The power sector is plagued by SEB insolvencies, government dictated tariffs, high debt burdens and overcapacity.   Although this does not preclude management from making a good deal with the cash resources, the lack of an es...

Hyderabad Industries is in the business of manufacturing fibre cement sheets and thermal insulation materials. It owns the prominent ‘Charminar’ brand and is a market leader in its industry with 20%+ market share. The company has reported good growth in revenues in the last five years as a result of capacity additions but operating margins have taken a hit in the last year due to overcapacity in the industry (see below).  It reported 88cr of operating profits on 725cr of revenues in the last financial year.  The company employed only moderate debt in financing its operations despite the heavy capacity additions in the industry, which is a point in favour of the company’s strong cash flows and management competence. The business is exposed to the risk of substitutes becoming economically viable such as GI corrugated sheets (steel-based).  The business is dependent on rural spending power and there is little pricing power within the industry to pass on increa...

National Peroxide is in the business of manufacturing hydrogen peroxide – which is used primarily in the paper industry. The company is the leader in the industry, which exhibits growth of 7% p.a.  It plans heavy capital expenditure in the next few years to ramp up capacity and remain competitive. The company has reported good growth in revenues and operating profits over the last five years – reporting 90cr of operating profits on revenues of 180cr in the last financial year. It employed no net debt and held about 21cr of liquid investments largely in an equity mutual fund. The fortunes of this business is tied to the paper industry, which faces its own problems such as moves to a ‘paperless’ world, consolidation of capacities etc. It is also dependent on natural gas prices, which is expected to rise substantially from 2014 (based on current spot prices) when the company’s current fixed price contract with Petronet LNG expires. The industry is also blighted by s...