While corporate earnings remained depressed on account of disruptions by demonetization and goods and service tax, the sharp rally in 2017 was driven purely by expansion in the price/earnings (PE) multiples.
Rallies driven by PE expansion are not sustainable. Serious long-term investors should instead focus on a recovery in the corporate earnings. As Peter Lynch in his famous book 'One Up on Wall Street' quotes:
We too believe that in the long-run, share prices tend to move in the direction of the earnings growth. And the recent data on corporate earnings is encouraging. As reported by Economic Times, a sample of 1,529 companies excluding banking & finance companies and oil & gas companies reported a net profit growth of 41.9%. Further, the net sales witnessed a growth of 13.9% YoY.
Sectors Performing Well | Sectors Showing Stress |
---|---|
Automobiles | Capital Goods |
IT | Pharmaceutical |
FMCG | Textiles |
Metal | Power |
After two years of depressed earnings, hopes of a trend reversal are high. However, it is imperative to note that the growth has come on a lower base considering that FY17 was impacted by demonetization. We do hope the strong earnings trend to continue going forward.
The stock of HDFC Bank surged by 4.4% in yesterday's trade. The foreign ownership cannot go beyond a maximum of 74% in the bank. On account of the recent equity dilution, their holdings have fallen below the limit of 74%. Hence, the window for buying for foreign investors will open on June 1. Reportedly, this could lead to buying of more than USD 1 billion dollar in the stock tomorrow. This can further lead to a surge in the stock price today.
Apart from HDFC Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Consultancy Service, Sadbhav Infrastructure, Dilip Buildcon, Glenmark Pharma, Manpasand Beverages are expected to be in the news today.
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