Hindalco Q1 profit jumps over 4-fold to Rs 294 cr

Aluminium maker Hindalco on Friday reported over four-fold jump in standalone net profit to over Rs 294 crore for the quarter ended June 30, helped by better operational performance. The Aditya Birla Group flagship had clocked net profit of Rs 61.10 crore in the year-ago period.

It said in a BSE filing that its total standalone income fell by 11 per cent to Rs 7,716,53 crore in April-June quarter of the current fiscal, from Rs 8,667 crore during the same period of 2015-16, on account of decline in realisations. Total expenses of the company declined to Rs 6,703.82 crore from Rs 7,993.05 crore during the period under review. Market welcomed the company's performance, with its scrip rising by 2.81 per cent to Rs 146.25 apiece on BSE in the afternoon trade.

The firm said its revenues were hit due to a "sharp decline in realisations", while the net profit rose by more than four-fold helped by "better operational performance". "The company delivered a robust operational performance in adverse macroeconomic conditions. Its operational performance was also supported by deflationary energy prices," Hindalco said. In spite of a fall in aluminium revenues, the year-on- year (y-o-y) aluminium revenues were higher by 8 per cent on the back of a strong volume growth but a 28 per cent drop in copper revenues negated this increase, it added.

The average London Metal Exchange (LME) prices for aluminium and copper were lower by 11 per cent and 22 per cent respectively in April-June 2016-17 as against a year ago.

In aluminium business, the impact was more severe due to a sharp fall in the local market premium, which declined by as much as 5-0 per cent. Continued strong imports of aluminium in to the country also adversely impacted the results. Weak Rupee enabled partially to offset the effect of the drop in realisations. The lower cost of raw materials, especially energy inputs, was a major relief during the quarter.

Going ahead, the firm said, macroeconomic headwinds still persist and the uncertain global macro factors pose several challenges. "The high level of imports continue to impact domestic sale volumes. Hindalco continues to focus on operational excellence, higher value addition, customer centricity and cash conservation to tide over these issues," it added.