Business
PhysicsWallah, Ambuja Cement & more: Stock recommendations by brokers for today — check details – The Times of India
Goldman Sachs initiated its coverage of PhysicsWallah with a neutral rating and a target price of Rs 135. Analysts said the company is one of India’s largest edtech platforms, with a broadly equal mix of revenues from online and offline segments. They forecast a 24% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of revenue for FY25-FY30 (vs 38% for last two years), at mid-to-high end of India internet coverage, with 80%+ earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) CAGR over this period. Analysts said they view such numbers as a function of PW’s strong top of the funnel organic traffic, a relatively benign competitive environment in India’s edtech sector, and PW’s pricing structure that allows it to penetrate deeper into multiple new education categories. They also warned that PW’s business model also has a negative working capital cycle, and forecast 100%+ free cash flow to net income for the company starting FY26.Avendus Spark initiated its coverage of LG Electronics with a reduce rating and a target price of Rs 1,536. Analysts said despite lower bargaining power and increasing customer choices due to competition, LG’s extensive reach remains a key strength and moat. The company has a robust in-house manufacturing capability and a third facility is in the pipeline to cater to the South Indian market and exports, which will also save logistics costs. They said the company is likely to face market share erosion, revenue impact and challenges in its niche premium/super-premium categories due to relatively new entrants.Nuvama has initiated its coverage of Knowledge Marine Engineering Works with a buy rating and a target price of Rs 2,500. Analysts said that India’s maritime industry is at an inflection point with unprecedented emphasis on infrastructure creation and inland waterways. KMEW enjoys a 50% order-win rate amid scarce competition and high entry barriers, delivers superior 35–40% EBITDA margin and is diversified across a spectrum of dredging, shipbuilding and ancillary services accounting for 43%, 11% and 46% of balance order book, respectively.HSBC has a buy rating on Ambuja Cement with the target price at Rs 700. Analysts said that the company’s board has approved the amalgamation of ACC and Orient Cement into Ambuja, with the completion expected within twelve months. The company’s management expects operational synergies to drive cost savings of at least Rs 100/tonne. Analysts see the amalgamation as a positive move for the companyInvestec has a buy rating on RBL Bank with the target price at Rs 430. Analysts said that the bank intends to deploy $1.5 billion of $3 billion infusion to retire high-cost liabilities and expects rating upgrades (AA- to AA+/AAA) to narrow its wholesale funding cost gaps vs larger peers. The lender expects to grow its loan book at 30% in FY27, led by wholesale, prime housing, and a pick-up in unsecured retail. Under the new expected credit loss (ECL) norms that is effective April 2027, the management expects a one-time impact of Rs 1,500 to Rs 1,700 crore (4% of post-dilution net worth) and a 20–25 basis points (100 basis points = 1 percentage point) rise in credit costs on a run-rate basis, partly offset by faster secured lending growth.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)
Business
Nike shares fall 9% on weak outlook, expected 20% sales decline in China
A Nike logo is displayed at a Nike store in Austin, Texas, Feb. 5, 2026.
Brandon Bell | Getty Images
Shares of Nike fell in extended trading Tuesday after the retailer warned sales will fall for the rest of the calendar year, led by an expected 20% decline in its key China market during the current quarter.
Chief Financial Officer Matt Friend said during the company’s earnings call that Nike expects sales for its current fiscal fourth quarter to drop between 2% and 4%, compared with Wall Street estimates of a 1.9% increase, according to LSEG.
For the duration of the calendar year, Friend said, the company expects sales to fall by a low single-digit percentage, led by growth in North America and offset by declines in China. That outlook wasn’t comparable to estimates.
Nike beat expectations across the business on both the top and bottom lines for its fiscal third quarter, but its guidance left investors with more questions about how long its turnaround will take. Friend also cautioned that Nike’s guidance was based off of where the global economic picture stands today — and it could change given recent geopolitical volatility.
“We also recognize that the environment around us has become increasingly dynamic, and we could experience unplanned volatility due to the disruption in the Middle East, rising oil prices and other factors that could impact either input costs or consumer behavior,” said Friend. “We are focused on what we can control.”
Shares fell more than 8% in extended trading.
Here’s how the world’s largest sneaker company did for its fiscal third quarter, compared with estimates from analysts polled by LSEG:
- Earnings per share: 35 cents vs. 28 cents expected
- Revenue: $11.28 billion vs. $11.24 billion expected
The company’s reported net income for the three-month period that ended Feb. 28 was $520 million, or 35 cents per share. That’s a 35% decline from $794 million, or 54 cents per share, a year earlier. That plunge came as Nike’s gross profit margin slid 1.3 percentage points to 40.2%, “primarily due to higher tariffs in North America,” the company said.
Sales were flat at $11.28 billion, compared to $11.27 billion last year.
While Nike beat expectations on the top and bottom lines, it posted a mixed picture regionally. Nike’s largest market of North America continued to show steady growth, as revenue climbed 3% to $5.03 billion, but that was just shy of Wall Street’s expectations of $5.04 billion, according to StreetAccount.
Meanwhile, Nike’s Greater China market continued to shrink, with revenue down 7% to $1.62 billion during the quarter. Still, that total beat analyst estimates of $1.50 billion, according to StreetAccount.
Nike is continuing to work through a colossal turnaround under CEO Elliott Hill. About a year and a half into his tenure, Hill has made strides in repairing parts of the business, but has been clear that it’ll take time for the entire company to improve given the retailer’s scale and complexity.
He reiterated that expectation on Tuesday, saying in a news release that “the pace of progress is different across the portfolio.”
“The areas we prioritized first continue to drive momentum,” Hill said. “The work is not finished, but the direction is clear, our teams are moving with focus and urgency, and our foundation is getting even stronger to build the future of NIKE.”
Friend said Nike’s turnaround efforts “will continue to impact results over the balance of the calendar year.”
Nike’s recovery was already coming at a tough time as a global trade war dented its efforts to improve profitability and drive sales from inflation-weary shoppers. But now the athletic company will have to contend with a new war in the Middle East that’s already led to rising gas prices and is expected to send consumer prices even higher, which could push shoppers to cut back on nice-to-haves like new clothes and shoes to save money elsewhere.
“We continue to be encouraged by the momentum in North America. We’ve got a strong order book for summer,” Friend said. “We’re seeing positive signs and sell through. We’re not seeing a consumer reaction to what’s going on in the Middle East at this point in time, in North America.”
Hill has focused in part on revitalizing Nike’s business with wholesale partners as opposed to direct sales on its website and in stores. Wholesale revenue climbed 5% to $6.5 billion.
Meanwhile, direct sales slid 4% to $4.5 billion.
Business
Tech giant Oracle makes ‘significant’ job cuts
It is thought that thousands of people may have lost their jobs at Oracle, one of the world’s largest tech companies.
Source link
Business
Oil nears highest price since start of Iran war
The US-Israel Iran war has halted almost all traffic in a key waterway and the price Brent crude has surged.
Source link
-
Politics1 week agoAfghanistan announces release of detained US citizen
-
Sports1 week agoBroadcast industry CEO says consolidation is ‘essential’ to compete for NFL soaring media rights prices
-
Entertainment1 week agoUN warns migratory freshwater fish numbers are spiralling
-
Tech1 week agoCan a Home Appliance Fix the Problem of Soft-Plastic Waste?
-
Business1 week agoProperty Play: Home flippers see smallest profits since the Great Recession, real estate data firm says
-
Business1 week agoGold prices soar in Pakistan – SUCH TV
-
Fashion1 week agoICE cotton slips on weaker crude, profit booking
-
Business1 week agoMore women are entering wealth management, but few are in advisory roles, study finds
