Infosys hardens on European acquisition buzz

Breaking NewsSage’s stock price witnessed heightened activity on the London Stock Exchange yesterday on talk that India’s leading IT company Infosys, may be interested in acquiring the company. Reports suggest that Infosys could be in talks with Sage for buying out certain divisions of the UK company in an effort to enlarge its European business in order to reduce its dependence on the US market.

The Sage Group is a supplier of accounting, payroll, CRM and business management software for large, medium and small size enterprises. The group posted a turnover of 936 million pounds during the last calendar year. Sage is estimated to have a market capitalization of over 3 billion pounds.

CapGemini and Microsoft may also be interested in Sage, said a broker on Dalal Street.

KEC International + Jubiliant Organosys

KEC International has bagged a major Asian Development Bank funded contract from Afghanistan’s Ministry of energy & water through an international competitive bidding process. Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) is consultant to the project, which will be completed in 18 months. The value of the contract is Rs 317 crore.

The special feature of this prestigious win is its composite nature. To be executed in two lots in the North and Eastern regions of Afghanistan, this order in totality involves turnkey construction of 2 X 110 KV transmission lines totaling over l00 kms; 4 sub stations and; 8 power distribution systems of 20 KV each.

Jubilant Organosys will supply Pyridines and derivatives of the chemical compound, used in manufacturing of medicines and agricultural products, to Syngenta. The Swiss company will use it in its agriculture business. The new contract will start from early 2008. The company made this announcement after market hours on Tuesday, 18 September 2007.

Everest Industries enters pre-engineered steel buildings

Everest Industries is entering into business of design, manufacturing, supply and erection of pre-engineered steel buildings.

Pre-engineered steel buildings are accepted as an alternate to conventional buildings in the construction sector. Most of the industrial, infrastructure and commercial buildings are being made using this technology which saves lot of construction time. This technology is fast, efficient and cost effective compared to conventional building methods. The acceptance has been phenomenal across all segments in India. This business is in rapid growth mode and this concept is globally accepted. The existing players are growing very rapidly.

For undertaking this business, the company has commenced the setting up of its first plant at Bhagwanpur at Roorkee (Uttarakhand), which will be followed up by other plants based on market growth.

State Trading Bonus + Trent Sisley

State Trading Corporation of India informed DalalStreet.Biz, that a meeting of the board of directors of the company will be held on 26 September 2007, to recommend bonus shares in a ratio of 1:1 . Shares of State Trading Corporation of India had hit a high of Rs 238.35, a record high for the scrip. The company’s current equity is Rs 30 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10.

Tata group company, Trent Ltd has announced partnership with Benetton India to introduce Luxury Retailing in India under the brand name Sisley.

Gokaldas downgraded to SELL – Citi

Citigroup Research has downgraded Gokaldas Exports Ltd to SELL. Earnings estimates of Gokaldas Exports have also been revised downwards.

Significant slowdown in India’s garment exports, rupee appreciation is the key concern said the report. 10%-19% downward revisions to FY08E-10E earnings to factor in this slowdown and stock’s 25% run-up over last 3 months. Target price reduced to Rs237 based on 10x FY09E PE – implies 6% downside.

Given the stock’s low free float (30%), we expect Blackstone’s 20% open offer at Rs275/share to provide near-term support. Investors can tender their shares in the open offer.

Escorts an Outperformer – ICICI Research

ICICI Equity Research has a BUY with an outperform rating on Escorts Limited with a price target of Rs 180.

The poor performance of the tractor segment dampened revenue and profit growth. Going forward, tractors’ sales is expected to pick up, expanding the company’s top line. The company also has auto ancillary component unit, which contributes around 4-5% to total revenues, but is running at losses. Escorts also manufacture railway equipment, which contribute 6-7% to revenues and reported PBIT of Rs 4.2 crore during the quarter under review.

Construction Equipment Business – Hidden Gem
Escorts operates this business segment under a separate 100% subsidiary company called ECEL and is planning to unlock the value of investments in the next 8-10 months. The construction business is valued at Rs 735 crore and core tractor and equipment business at Rs 636 crore, while the market capitalization of Escorts Ltd is around Rs 785 plus crore. This means at current price, the construction business is available almost free of cost.

A sum-of-the parts (SOTP) valuation gives is a target price of Rs 181.At the current price, the stock is available at attractive valuations of 9.4x consolidated FY08E EPS of Rs 10.9 and 14.7x standalone FY08E EPS of Rs 7.

Related Research Report:
Tata Motors to Unlock Value of its Subsidiaries.

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