Keep These 3 Smallcaps on Your Watchlist

Last month, I shared some thoughts on how we're navigating our investments during these uncertain times, especially with all the noise around tariffs.

While the immediate threat seems to have been pushed aside, the story isn't over yet.

Tariffs may not directly hit India as hard as other nations. However, if the US - a major market for many global companies - dips into a recession, there will be ripple effects.

Instead of trying to guess who might win or lose from these trade and tariff games, I believe it's better to focus on companies that can stand strong through it all.

And here's the silver lining on tariff clouds- recent market corrections have brought down the prices of many quality stocks.

This makes it a great time to build a watchlist of companies that have solid foundations and long-term potential.

Here are three such businesses I'm keeping an eye on...

#1 DB Corp Ltd: Old-School Print, New-Age Thinking

DB Corp, one of India's leading newspaper companies, might not scream "growth stock" at first glance. After all, we live in a digital world, and print media has been losing ground for years.

But DB Corp is adapting. They've built a news app that's already a front-runner among Hindi and Gujarati users. Despite the headwinds facing the print industry, DB Corp has managed to grow both its circulation and ad revenues - beating the industry trend.

Even excluding the recent election bump, they're seeing steady mid-single-digit growth, thanks to ad spending from sectors like education, healthcare, real estate, and more.

Financially, the company is in a healthy spot:

• It has more cash than debt (net cash equals 19% of its market cap).
• Strong return ratios (above 20%).
• A generous dividend payout (averaging 60% over the past three years) and a solid 5.5% dividend yield.
• The stock has dropped over 40%, making valuations attractive.
• And interestingly, the promoters have been buying shares from the open market - a vote of confidence.

#2 Kovai Medical Center & Hospital: Healing and Growing

Next on my list is Kovai Medical Center, a Coimbatore-based hospital that's doing more than just treating patients.

With satellite centers nearby and even a medical college under its wing, this is a healthcare company with strong roots - and serious growth ambitions.

The best part? Healthcare doesn't get tossed around by global politics. Tariffs or no tariffs, people still need hospitals. And the demand will only grow.

Kovai has become one of the top names in organ transplants and is now expanding into Chennai. This reduces the risk of relying too much on one location and opens the door for future growth - especially with India's medical tourism on the rise.

Here's what's working in its favour:

• Return ratios above 22%.
• Low debt levels (a comfortable debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43).
• The stock has fallen 14% from its 52-week high, with promoters picking up shares recently at prices between Rs 5,000 and Rs 5,895.

#3 BLS International: Your Visa, Their Business

Last but not least, we have BLS International - a company that's carved out a niche in the global visa processing space. It operates in over 70 countries around the world.

Only about half of all visa processing is currently outsourced, which means there's still a lot of room for growth for the company.

But BLS isn't stopping there. It's also building a strong digital services arm in India, offering a range of solutions to citizens and businesses at the grassroots level.

Financially, they're in a decent shape:

• Strong operating profit growth - up 78.3% in just nine months.
• High return ratios (above 25%).
• A debt-light balance sheet.
• And a flexible business model that's shifting from partner-run to self-managed in many locations.

Of course, there are a few risks - like changes in visa rules by different governments, and how well the company handles its new acquisitions.

But for now, the numbers look promising.

Parting Thoughts

Do note that these are just the names for watchlist. Today's discussion does not imply any view on the stock. Like any other business, each of these comes with some inherent set of risks that one should dig further into.

I am not trying to predict the next big winner from global trade tensions or political drama. I would rather focus on strong, well-run businesses that are built to last - whether times are good or tough.

These three companies may not be the flashiest names on the stock market, but they've got the right mix of resilience, financial strength, and future potential. And in a market, that's seen some heavy corrections lately, that's exactly the kind of businesses to keep on your watchlist.

Warm regards,


Richa Agarwal
Editor and Research Analyst, Hidden Treasure
Equitymaster Research Private Limited (formerly Equitymaster Agora Research Private Limited) (Research Analyst)