Strong B2B Demand Will Fuel Future Success In EVs And Packaging

Key Takeaways

• Strong growth is expected from the B2B segment, driven by projects in packaging, electronics, and EV industries, positively impacting revenue.
  
• Investment in brand building, distribution, and innovation is key for long-term revenue growth, with potential earnings improvement through strategic acquisitions.
  
• Weakened demand, cost pressures, and geopolitical uncertainties could hinder Pidilite's revenue and profitability growth across key markets and segments.

Catalysts

Engages in the manufacture and sale of consumer and specialty chemicals in India and internationally.

• Pidilite Industries is expecting robust growth in the B2B segment with an underlying volume growth of 21.7%, primarily driven by strong demand in projects and adhesives for packaging, electronics, and new industries such as EVs. This is expected to impact revenue positively.
  
• The company is investing in brand building, new facilities, distribution expansion, and innovation, which are key contributors to revenue growth. This strategic focus on innovation is likely to further drive top-line growth in the mid to long term.
  
• While there are concerns about macroeconomic conditions, Pidilite is optimistic about rural growth outperforming urban growth, driven by its strong distribution network expansion in these areas. This could improve net margins as distribution efficiency rises.
  
• The company is cautious about the potential impact of fluctuating input costs, specifically crude oil and currency depreciation. However, stable input prices could maintain gross margins, given the geopolitical environment.
  
• Pidilite's strategic focus on inorganic growth through conservative acquisitions, targeting adjacencies that provide long-term value, could potentially lead to significant improvements in earnings, should synergies be realized effectively.

Pidilite Industries Future Earnings and Revenue Growth

Assumptions

• Analysts are assuming Pidilite Industries's revenue will grow by 10.4% annually over the next 3 years.
• Analysts assume that profit margins will increase from 15.1% today to 16.3% in 3 years time.
• Analysts expect earnings to reach ₹28.3 billion (and earnings per share of ₹55.59) by about May 2028, up from ₹19.5 billion today. However, there is some disagreement amongst the analysts with the more bearish ones expecting earnings as low as ₹25.0 billion.
• In order for the above numbers to justify the analysts price target, the company would need to trade at a PE ratio of 82.6x on those 2028 earnings, up from 79.0x today. This future PE is greater than the current PE for the IN Chemicals industry at 25.1x.
• Analysts expect the number of shares outstanding to remain consistent over the next 3 years.
• To value all of this in today's terms, we will use a discount rate of 13.38%, as per the Simply Wall St company report.

Pidilite Industries Future Earnings Per Share Growth

Risks

• Urban and rural demand is showing signs of strain, with particularly slow performance in core categories like adhesives and putties. This could impact revenue growth if the trend doesn't improve.
  
• The company's EBITDA margins have decreased slightly from 25.1% to 24.3% due to increased A&SP spending, which could constrain profitability if the investments do not lead to significant growth.
  
• Potential headwinds, such as a depreciating rupee and fluctuating crude oil prices, could adversely impact input costs and thus affect net margins.
  
• Slowdown in the real estate market and geographic disparities, particularly weaker performance in regions like Kerala and Gujarat, may pose risks to sustained revenue growth in construction-related segments.
  
• Global economic uncertainties and political instability could impact international sales, which have already shown only modest growth, posing a risk to overall earnings.

Valuation

• The analysts have a consensus price target of ₹3158.278 for Pidilite Industries based on their expectations of its future earnings growth, profit margins and other risk factors. However, there is a degree of disagreement amongst analysts, with the most bullish reporting a price target of ₹3660.0, and the most bearish reporting a price target of just ₹2600.0.
• In order for you to agree with the analyst's consensus, you'd need to believe that by 2028, revenues will be ₹173.5 billion, earnings will come to ₹28.3 billion, and it would be trading on a PE ratio of 82.6x, assuming you use a discount rate of 13.4%.
• Given the current share price of ₹3033.9, the analyst price target of ₹3158.28 is 3.9% higher. The relatively low difference between the current share price and the analyst consensus price target indicates that they believe on average, the company is fairly priced.
• We always encourage you to reach your own conclusions though. So sense check these analyst numbers against your own assumptions and expectations based on your understanding of the business and what you believe is probable.