IRCTC set to announce Q2FY24 results, dividend today; here's what to expect

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC) is set to announce its Q2 FY24 earnings and dividend today (November 07). The company is a “Mini Ratna (Category-I)" Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Railways, Government of India.

Saurabh Jain, Vice President - Research at SMC Global Securities, said, “IRCTC’s focus on other than online ticket booking business is expected to reflect in the balance sheet of the company in the upcoming Q2 results."

“The market is expecting that IRCTC may report a rise in hospitality and catering revenue. The Indian Railways’ PSU may also report a rise in business revenue from online railways and other transport ticket bookings. So, the market is expecting an improvement in the margins of the company and a rise in profit,” he added.

Anirudh Garg, Partner and Head of Research at Invasset said that the IRCTC’s projections for this quarter are robust, with a substantial expected 24.3% year-on-year increase in the IRCTC’s consolidated net profit, reaching an impressive ₹281 crore.

“It’s not just profitability that’s expected to shine; revenue is also anticipated to experience significant growth, with a remarkable 27.7% YoY increase estimated, pushing it to ₹1,029 crore. These promising figures reflect IRCTC’s ability to tap into the growing demand in India’s railway sector.”

“Additionally, the spotlight is on Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA). Forecasts suggest that IRCTC will announce an EBITDA of ₹357 crore for the quarter ending on September 30, 2023, signifying a notable 17.2% increase compared to the same period the previous year. All eyes are on IRCTC as the results are awaited with much anticipation,” he added.

In Q1 FY24, the company reported a 5.42% YoY drop in its consolidated net profit to ₹232 crore, while the revenue from operations came in at ₹1,002 crore, a 17.46% YoY increase compared to the revenue of ₹853 crore.

IRCTC is the only entity authorised by the Indian government to provide online railway tickets, catering services to railways, and packaged drinking water at railway stations and trains in India. The company has expanded its services over the years to include a wide range of tourism and hospitality offerings, such as luxury train tours, hotel bookings, and holiday packages.

The company’s shares over the last one-year period have generated a negative return of 10.29%. However, looking at the long-term performance, the stock delivered a return of 159% in the last three years, and it is up by 963% in the last five-year period.

For FY23, the company reported a record revenue of ₹3,540 crore, compared to ₹1,879 crore in FY22, an increase of 88%. The company reported a profit after tax of ₹1,006 crore, a surge of 51% over FY22’s PAT of ₹660 crore. The company’s ticket booking increased to 28,434 tickets per minute in FY23.

The Indian government owns 62.4 percent of the shares in the company as of Q2FY24, while foreign portfolio investors and domestic institutional investors each own 7.1 percent and 10.5 percent, respectively. Regular shareholders own 20 percent, Trendlyne data showed.

Ahead of its Q2FY24 results, IRCTC shares were trading with a gain of 1.19% at ₹679.50 as of 12:15 PM.

Source Link: IRCTC set to announce Q2FY24 results, dividend today; here's what to expect | Mint