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CARE Ratings places NDTV’s bank facilities on ‘credit watch’, shares gallop

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The shares of Adani group’s takeover target satellite channel company New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) continued to hit the upward circuit on Monday with the price touching Rs 540.85.

The 52-week low price for the scrip was Rs 72.

Meanwhile, credit rating agency CARE Ratings has placed ratings assigned to NDTV’s bank facilities on credit watch with developing implications following takeover decision by the Adani group.

NDTV, which had postponed its 34th annual general meeting (AGM)to September 27 from the earlier fixed date of September 20, said it has completed the dispatch of notice for the shareholders meeting on September 3, 2022.

Due to change in the date of the AGM, the Register of Members and the Share Transfer Book of the Company will now remain closed September 20-27 (both days inclusive), NDTV had said.

The scrip has been on the upswing since August 23, the day on which the Adani group’s AMG Media Networks announced its subsidiary Vishvapradhan Commercial Private Ltd’s (VCPL) decision to exercise its rights to acquire 99.5 per cent of equity shares of RRPR Holding Private Ltd, the investment company of NDTV promoters – Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy.

The VCPL holds 1,990,000 warrants of RRPR Holding entitling it to convert them into 99.99 per cent stake in the latter.

The VCPL has exercised its option in part, resulting in acquisition control of RRPR Holding — 1,990,000 equity shares or 99.50 per cent.

RRPR Holding holds 29.18 per cent stake in NDTV that has three national television channels.

This triggered the issue of open offer to acquire shares of NDTV from the public as per SEBI’s (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations, 2011.

Placing the credit ratings of NDTV’s bank facilities on credit watch with developing implication, CARE Ratings said it will continue to monitor the developments in this regard and will take a view on the ratings once the exact implications of the acquisition on the credit risk profile of the company are clear.

According to CARE Ratings, the ratings continue to remain constrained by high exposure towards group companies and revenue concentration risk as the company majorly generates revenue from advertisement which in turn exposes the company’s revenue profile to the business cycle of the advertisers.

“The ratings are also constrained on account of uncertainty over ongoing litigations against the company and its promoters especially pertaining to tax demand, hence the impact of the same on operational and financial risk profile of the company is not clear,” CARE Rating said.

According to CARE Ratings, NDTV had a total investment of Rs 335.13 crore in its subsidiaries/joint ventures/associates as on March 31, 2022 (Rs 325.03 crore as on March 31, 2021) as against its tangible net worth of Rs 345.09 crore as on March 31, 2022, majority of which are in NDTV Networks Limited, having an investment of Rs 315.70 crore as on March 31, 2022 (NDTV Networks Limited have a negative net worth of Rs 28.48 crore as on March 31, 2022).

“There are a number of ongoing litigations against the company especially pertaining to tax demand, the outcome of which will be crucial, particularly in the matter pertaining to transaction with Universal Studios International BV (a General Electric company) wherein a tax demand of

Rs 450 crore had been raised against the company for AY 2009-10,” CARE Ratings said.

“Further, the company had also received demand notice from SEBI for alleged non-disclosure of tax demand dated November 22, 2019, against which the company filed an appeal and matter is likely to be listed on September 12, 2022. Company also received show cause notice from the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) for the alleged contraventions under Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (“FEMA”),” the credit rating agency said.

The CARE Ratings said the company also received notice dated August 20, 2018, from SEBI in regard to alleged violation of Clause 36 of erstwhile Listing Agreement for non-disclosure of loan agreements entered into by Prannoy Roy, Radhika Roy and RPRR Holding with VCPL in 2009-10.

“Further, the investigation by CBI is also pending with respect to the FIR registered against the company, promoters and other officials on August 19, 2019, in a case of alleged violation of foreign direct investment rules in one of their companies under section of Indian Penal Code, 1980 and Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. In addition to this, there are few other investigations also pending w.r.t. income tax demand. Any adverse developments in relation to these ongoing legal cases having a material impact on the operational or financial risk profile of the company shall remain negative from the credit perspective,” CARE Ratings said.

Business

Indian Hotels clocks 48.6 pc drop in Q2 net profit to Rs 285 crore

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Mumbai, Nov 4: Tata Group’s hospitality arm, Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), on Tuesday reported a 48.6 per cent year-on-year (YoY) drop in net profit to Rs 285 crore for the quarter ended September 2025 (Q2 FY26).

The company had posted a profit of Rs 555 crore in the same quarter last financial year (Q2 FY25), according to its stock exchange filing.

Despite the fall in profit, IHCL’s revenue from operations rose 11.8 per cent to Rs 2,040.8 crore, compared with Rs 1,826 crore in the corresponding period of the previous financial year.

The company’s EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation) also showed improvement, rising 14.2 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 572 crore from Rs 501 crore a year ago.

The EBITDA margin improved slightly to 28 per cent, compared with 27.4 per cent in the same quarter last financial year.

On the market front, IHCL shares ended at Rs 743.75 on the BSE, down Rs 3.30 or 0.44 per cent on Tuesday.

Over the last five days, the stock gained Rs 2.35 or 0.32 per cent, while in the past month, it rose Rs 20.65 or 2.85 per cent.

However, over a longer period, the stock has faced some pressure. In the last six months, IHCL shares fell Rs 57.60 or 7.18 per cent, and on a year-to-date (YTD) basis, they are down Rs 129.40 or 14.81 per cent.

Still, over the past one year, the stock has gained Rs 77.65 or 11.65 per cent.

The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) is South Asia’s biggest hospitality group. It was founded in 1903 by Jamsetji Tata, who started it with the opening of The Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai.

The company is best known for its Taj hotels and its unique culture called “Tajness,” which combines Indian tradition with modern hospitality.

Today, IHCL runs more than 550 hotels across four continents and focuses on being both innovative and sustainable.

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Business

Centre to launch third round of PLI scheme for specialty steel

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New Delhi, Nov 4: The government was set to launch the third round of the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for Specialty Steel on Tuesday, which is one of the key initiatives under the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision.

The PLI 1.2 launch will be presided over by Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, in the presence of senior officials, and other stakeholders from the sector, according to Ministry of Steel.

The ministry said that the PLI Scheme for Specialty Steel, approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2021 with an overall outlay of Rs 6,322 crore, aims to transform India into a global hub for production of high-value and advanced steel grades.

The PLI scheme has attracted a committed investment of Rs 43,874 crore so far, with Rs 22,973 crore already invested and over 13,000 jobs created under the first two rounds.

The scheme covers 22 product sub-categories including super alloys, CRGO, alloy forgings, stainless steel (long and flat), titanium alloys, and coated steels.

Incentive rates range from 4 per cent to 15 per cent, applicable for five years starting FY 2025–26, with disbursal beginning in FY 2026–27.

The base year for pricing has also been updated to FY 2024–25 to better reflect current trends.

The PLI scheme incentivises incremental production and investment in identified product categories, thereby enhancing value addition within the country and reducing import dependence in critical sectors such as defence, power, aerospace and infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the country aims to achieve 300 million tonnes of crude steel production capacity by 2030. Notably, India’s domestic steel demand is growing at an impressive 11-13 per cent, fuelled by large-scale infrastructure projects, while global demand faces a slowdown, according to Steel Ministry.

Steel production surged by a robust 14.1 per cent in September compared to the same month of the previous year on the back of increased demand from big-ticket infrastructure projects being carried out by the government.

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Indian stock markets end higher after two days of losses

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Mumbai, Nov 3: Indian equity markets ended a volatile session on a positive note on Monday, snapping a two-day losing streak.

Gains in real estate and state-owned bank stocks helped lift the indices despite early weakness.

After opening lower, the Sensex recovered to touch an intra-day high of 84,127 before closing 39.78 points, or 0.05 per cent, higher at 83,978.49.

The Nifty also gained 41.25 points, or 0.16 per cent, to end at 25,763.35.

“The Nifty oscillated between 25,700 and 25,800 through the day, showing resilience after briefly dipping below the October 24 low of 25,718,” analysts said.

“The zone between 25,660–25,700 once again acted as a strong demand pocket, helping the index recover intraday losses and maintain a constructive tone ahead of key global data releases,” they added.

Among the Sensex stocks, Maruti Suzuki fell over 3 per cent and was among the top losers along with Titan Company, BEL, TCS, ITC, NTPC, Bajaj Finserv, Tata Steel and tech Mahindra.

On the other hand, Mahindra & Mahindra, State Bank of India, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, and HCL Tech were the major gainers.

In the broader markets, the Nifty MidCap index rose 0.77 per cent, while the Nifty SmallCap index advanced 0.72 per cent, showing strength beyond the frontline stocks.

Among sectoral indices, PSU bank shares led the rally, with the Nifty PSU Bank index climbing 1.92 per cent.

Bank of Baroda surged 5 per cent, while Canara Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Bank of India, and Indian Bank also gained.

The Nifty Metal and Realty indices also added up to 2 per cent each.

Meanwhile, the FMCG, Private Bank, and IT indices slipped up to 0.4 per cent, capping the market’s overall gains.

Analysts said that despite mixed global cues and cautious investor sentiment, buying in select sectors helped the markets end the day in the green.

“The domestic market ended on a marginal positive note as profit booking was visible at the higher levels due to the absence of fresh domestic triggers,” market watchers said.

“While the broader market outperformed since the quarterly earnings are steering investors’ preference to take a short- to medium-term view,” they mentioned.

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