Stocks to Watch: Vodafone Idea, Apollo Tyres, NBCC, NALCO, Dish TV, and more

Here’s a quick look at stocks likely to be in focus in today's trade.

Vodafone Idea: Vodafone Idea Ltd reported a significant narrowing of its losses for the September quarter, which stood at ₹7,175 crore, a notable improvement from the ₹8,746 crore loss recorded in the same period last year. This improvement came as revenues increased slightly to ₹10,932 crore from ₹10,716 crore. However, the telecom operator continued to advocate for further tariff adjustments across the sector, emphasizing the necessity to cover rising capital costs. The company’s average revenue per user (Arpu), a critical metric for profitability, climbed to ₹156, up from ₹142 a year earlier and ₹146 in the preceding quarter.

PNB Housing Finance: PNB Housing Finance witnessed a significant development with Morgan Stanley, Societe Generale, and another entity collectively acquiring 1.77 crore shares, representing a 6.82 percent stake in the company, through open market transactions amounting to ₹1,664 crore. According to data from the NSE, Morgan Stanley Asia Singapore, a subsidiary of Morgan Stanley, purchased over 1.42 crore shares (5.4 percent stake) in two separate transactions. Additionally, Ghisallo Master Fund and Societe Generale acquired 17.90 lakh and 17.09 lakh shares, respectively, at an average price of ₹939.30 per share, totaling a transaction value of ₹1,664.55 crore.

Torrent Power: Torrent Power Ltd posted a net profit of ₹496 crore for Q2 FY2024-25, marking an 8.6 percent decline from ₹542.5 crore in the same quarter of the previous fiscal, as per its BSE filing. The company's core operational revenue rose by 3.08 percent year-on-year to ₹7,175.81 crore, compared to ₹6,960.92 crore in Q2 FY2023-24.

AstraZeneca Pharma: AstraZeneca Pharma India reported a 27 percent decline in its net profit for the quarter ending September 30, 2024. The company’s profit dropped to ₹38 crore from ₹52 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal. Revenue from operations increased to ₹408 crore, compared to ₹311 crore in the year-ago period, as noted in its regulatory filing.

Apollo Tyres: Apollo Tyres announced a 37 percent drop in consolidated profit after tax (PAT) for the September 2024 quarter, which amounted to ₹297 crore. This decline was attributed to sluggish domestic demand and higher raw material costs. The tyre manufacturer had reported a PAT of ₹474 crore in the same quarter last fiscal. Revenue from operations was reported at ₹6,437 crore, slightly higher than the ₹6,280 crore recorded in the previous year.

Wockhardt: Pharmaceutical company Wockhardt reported a net loss of ₹16 crore for Q2 FY2024-25, a significant reduction from the ₹73 crore loss in Q2 FY2023-24. Revenue for the quarter rose 7 percent year-on-year to ₹818 crore, up from ₹762 crore in the same period last year. The company's EBITDA increased by 71 percent to ₹139 crore, with margins improving by 630 basis points to 17 percent.

Brigade Enterprises: Real estate developer Brigade Enterprises Ltd reported an 11 percent decline in its consolidated net profit for the September 2024 quarter, which fell to ₹118.98 crore from ₹133.50 crore a year earlier. Total income for the quarter dropped to ₹1,138.13 crore, down from ₹1,407.92 crore in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.

Dish TV: Direct-to-home provider Dish TV India Ltd posted a consolidated net loss of ₹37.38 crore for the September 2024 quarter, in contrast to a net profit of ₹5.41 crore in the same quarter last year. Revenue from operations fell by 17.43 percent to ₹395.62 crore, down from ₹479.15 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

Nalco: State-owned National Aluminium Company Ltd (Nalco) posted a five-fold increase in consolidated profit for the September 2024 quarter, with earnings reaching ₹1,045.97 crore, compared to ₹187.35 crore in the same period last year. This surge was driven by higher operational revenue, which rose to ₹4,001.48 crore from ₹3,043.83 crore year-on-year. The company’s board approved an interim dividend of ₹4 per share for the current fiscal year.

NBCC: NBCC (India) Ltd, a state-owned construction company, reported a 53 percent increase in consolidated net profit for the September 2024 quarter, amounting to ₹125.13 crore. This marked an increase from the ₹81.90 crore profit reported in the same period last year. The company's total income also rose, reaching ₹2,525.95 crore, compared to ₹2,134.36 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal.