Brokerage firm Prabhudas Lilladher initiated coverage on IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Ltd) with a ‘buy’ rating and a target price of Rs 1,339 per share, an upside of 33 percent.The stock trades 75.6 percent higher from its listing on October 14, 2019. It was listed at Rs 644 on the BSE, a 101.25 percent premium over its issue price of Rs 320 per share. The company enjoys a monopoly position in providing online ticket booking and catering services for passengers traveling by Indian Railways.

Click here to read more on this

Coronavirus has taken the entire world by storm and till now over 130 in China have succumbed to this disease. The rapid spread of coronavirus has also shaken the stock markets around the world. In fact, market participants have been making cautious bets in the equities after the virus began to spread to different countries, claiming lives.

Credit Suisse in its recent research report cited vulnerable sectors that might be affected by the disease. READ MORE HERE

India's largest passenger car maker Maruti Suzuki's Q3 earnings missed analyst estimates, with its net profit rising only 5.1 percent at Rs 1,565 crore against Rs 1,489.3 crore in the same period last year. The net profit missed the CNBC-TV18 analysts' poll estimate of Rs 1,676 crore.

The automaker's total revenue from operations rose 5.8 percent to Rs 20,707 crore from Rs 19,669 crore. The CNBC TV-18 poll had estimated revenue of Rs 21,847 crore. Post the earnings, brokerages remained mixed on the stock. Morgan Stanley was 'overweight', Kotak Institutional Equities had a 'sell' rating, and Jefferies maintained a 'hold' call. READ MORE

Shares of Rallis India continued their northward march post their Q3 results, rallying 7 percent on Wednesday to Rs 247 on the BSE. The stock has surged 47 percent in January after it delivered robust earnings Q3 on the back of a 35 percent yoy growth in the domestic business, which is the company's best performance in the last six years, albeit on a low base. The company’s profit before tax more-than-doubled at Rs 48 crore in December quarter (Q3FY20). It had PBT of Rs 20 crore in the same quarter last fiscal. Rallis recorded consolidated revenues of Rs 534 crore in Q3FY20, a growth of 28 percent over Rs 417 crore in the previous year's quarter. Net profit jumped 177 percent to Rs 38 crore from Rs 14 crore in the year-ago quarter.

Shares of Tata Coffee rallied 8 percent on the BSE to hit a 52-week high of Rs 107 on Wednesday after the company reported a strong 61 percent YoY jump in its profit before tax (PBT) at Rs 53 crore for Q3FY20. The company had logged PBT of Rs 33 crore in the year-ago quarter. The company’s revenue from operations remained flat during the quarter at Rs 166 crore against Rs 165 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal. Profit after tax (PAT) grew 53 per cent YoY at Rs 24.37 crore, the company said in an exchange filing.

Jubilant Foodworks, which operates Dominos and Dunkin Donuts, is set to declare its third-quarter results today. The stock was at a record high but fell on Tuesday ahead of its Q3 numbers. The street is expecting a revenue growth of around 13 percent at about Rs 1,050 crore. The EBITDA is expected to jump 56 percent primarily on account of the Ind-AS accounting standards. Rs 266 crore is what the street is expecting. Net profit is likely to grow by around 23.5 percent to Rs 120 crore. Same-store-sales-growth (SSSG) is expected between 5 percent and 7 percent. Watch full preview here

Shares of M&M Financial Services jumped over 7 percent in the early trade on Wednesday after the company reported a 14 percent rise in its net profit for the December quarter of fiscal 2020. The scrip touched an intraday high of Rs 380 after gaining 7.87 percent against the previous close of Rs 352.25 on the BSE. M&M Financial Services Ltd reported a 14.6 percent rise in its standalone net profit to Rs 365.3 crore in Q3FY20 as compared to Rs 318.7 crore in Q3FY19. The net profit was higher than CNBC-TV18 poll estimates of Rs 347.5 crore.

Click here to read more

The stock price of Maruti Suzuki gained nearly 2 percent intraday after the largest car manufacturer reported a 4 percent year-on-year increase in third-quarter (October-December) profit at Rs 1,564.8 crore versus Rs 1,489.3 crore in the same period last year.

Total revenue from operations rose 5.28 percent YoY to Rs 20,721.8 crore as compared to Rs 19,680.7 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. The company sold a total of 4,37,361 vehicles during the quarter, higher by 2 percent compared to the same period the previous year. Sales in the domestic market stood at 4,13,698 units, higher by 2 percent. Exports were at 23,663 units. 

Intraday, the share price surged 1.70 percent at Rs 7,116.25 per share on the NSE. 

Net profit is expected to jump by about 6.5 percent. Domestic volume growth is seen between 6 percent and 7 percent. Revenue growth of about 3 percent on a consolidated basis is expected. The EBITDA is expected to jump 7.5 percent, meaning a margin expansion of over 100 bps. The company has also spent more on advertising and publicity. Businesses in Indonesia, Africa, US and Middle-East also saw a decent performance in Q3. Watch full preview here