Rural focus, attractive valuation: Analysts remain upbeat about this midcap FMCG stock

Should you buy Jyothy Laboratories (JYOTHYLAB) shares? The stock of Mumbai-headquartered Jyothy Labs, which manufactures a string of products related to areas such as fabric care, dishwashing and personal care, has more than doubled investors’ money in a year in a stunning outperformance to the Nifty50 and Nifty FMCG indices, rising from Rs 191-odd levels all the way to Rs 448 as of April 2, 2024. That’s a return of 134.6 per cent, or 2.3 times. Yet, many analysts remain positive on the stock from a long-term perspective, citing the company’s growth potential owing to its recent initiatives and attractive valuations relative to its peers.

Here are some of the key things to know about this midcap FMCG stock:

What analysts say

Brokerage Axis Securities expects Jyothy Labs to deliver CAGRs of 14 per cent in revenue, 30 per cent in EBITDA, and 31 per cent in net profit over the period between FY23 and FY26.

The brokerage sees the FMCG firm registering an increase in return on equity from 15 per cent in FY23 to 23 per cent in FY26.

The Return on Equity (RoE) is a crucial financial metric that measures a company's profitability and efficiency in generating profits from shareholders' equity. Simply put, it indicates how well a company is utilising its equity to generate profits for investors.

Valuation

Analysts at brokerage Sharekhan value Jyothy Labs at the multiples of 41 times and 35 times the estimated earnings for FY25 and FY26 respectively.

A consistently strong performance ahead of the industry and a favourable risk reward makes it a good pick in the FMCG basket, according to the brokerage.

Axis Securities analysts value Jyothy Labs at FY25 and FY26 EPS multiples of 34 times and 29 times, respectively.

Earnings

Jyothy Laboratories is yet to announce the date of release of its fourth-quarter results.

Q3 results: Jyothy Laboratories, whose popular brands include Ujala, Crisp & Shine, Mr White, Prill, Margo and Exo, reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 90 crore for the quarter ended December 2023, as against a net profit of Rs 67 crore for the corresponding period a year ago. 

Its quarterly revenue expanded to Rs 677 crore from Rs 612 crore a year ago, according to a regulatory filing. 

Key triggers

Many analysts have positive views on the company citing strong fundamentals, attractive valuations, rural focus, improving product mix, and premiumisation of key segments.

According to brokerage Sharekhan, Jyothy Labs is expected to register double-digit growth in fabric care driven by strong growth in post-wash products, market share gains in fabric whitener, and distribution and new market expansion.

Here are some other key points highlighted by the brokerage:

• Premium product- and large pack-driven urban demand
• Margins likely to remain stable on the back of stable raw material prices
• Additional premium products may improve product mix

Meanwhile, Axis Securities pegs the company’s EBITDA margin in the range of 16-17 per cent during the FY24-FY26 period.

Risks

According to Sharekhan, a delayed recovery in the household insecticides (HI) category or a market share loss in some of the key categories may act as a key risk to the brokerage’s earnings estimates for the FMCG company.

Technical outlook

“While the overall trend isn't very promising in Jyothy labs, dips towards Rs 420-425 levels could present an opportunity for entry, targeting higher levels of around Rs 485-490. Having said that, it is just a relief rally as long as the stock is holding above the Rs 395 mark on a closing basis,” Sugandha Sachdeva, Founder of SS WealthStreet, told Zeebiz.com.

“A convincing close below the Rs 395 mark could indicate further downside potential. Therefore, investors should closely monitor the stock's performance and exercise risk management strategies accordingly,” Sachdeva added.

Profile: What does Jyothy Labs do?

Established in Kerala’s Thrissur in 1983, Mumbai-headquartered Jyothy Labs has expanded its portfolio into a wide array of household products, including fabric whiteners and detergents, dish-wash soap, incense sticks, and mosquito coils.

The company entered the listed universe in 2007.

Stock vs peers

Many analysts find the stock to be attractive in the small-to-midcap consumer basket.

Jyothy Labs (JYOTHYLAB) target price

Zee Business analyst Varun Dubey has a long-term ‘buy’ call on Jyothy Labs. Last week, the analyst assigned a one-year target of Rs 600 to Jyothy Labs.

Dubey’s target implies an upside of almost 34 per cent in the stock, as of April 2.