Paytm hits 52-week high after Bernstein initiates coverage with 'outperform' rating

Paytm share price target 2023, Paytm share price NSE: Shares of One97 Communications, the parent company of digital payments firm Paytm, gained as much as 3 per cent to clock a fresh 52-week high of Rs 931.95 apiece on NSE, surpassing an earlier peak of Rs 916.15 touched on Wednesday, August 23, after Bernstein initiated coverage on the counter. The global research and broking firm initiated an outperform rating on Paytm with a target price of Rs 1,100, an upside of 21 per cent from Wednesday's close of Rs 904.75 on NSE. Paytm shares finished up 0.25 per cent at Rs 907 apiece on NSE.

Mentioning it to be early signs of an edge in digital lending achieved by leveraging digital payment platforms, put Paytm on the right side of disruption, Bernstein's report read, "While it's too early to declare winners in the digital lending space, we find PayTM, a dominant digital payments platform with a promising head start in the lending business, to be on the right side of the disruption. 

Analysts of the broking firm expect Paytm’s loan disbursal volume to grow and the market share to rise to 4 per cent by FY26. It added that Paytm is stabilising the margin in its payments segment. Furthermore, with stabilizing margins in its payments segment, the brokerage expects the business to break even by FY25E and generate an EPS of ~INR 130 by FY30E.

Here's how the stock has moved so far: 

Source: NSE

Paytm share price history

Paytm shares have doubled from their all-time low of Rs 438 each touched on November 23, 2022. So far this year, the shares have risen over 70 per cent (January 2, 2023). In comparison, the headline index Nifty 50 has rallied nearly 7 per cent in the same duration.

Besides, the company has released its annual report for the financial year 2022-23. Paytm Founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma said in the report that the company was investing in Artificial Intelligence (AI) with an eye on building an Artificial General Intelligence software stack. "We believe that by building it in India, we are not only making our country’s tech capability, (but) also creating something that could be leveraged outside India," he wrote in a letter to shareholders. The CEO also reiterated the company’s commitment to building a long-term, profitable business.

Paytm posted a 39 per cent YoY rise in revenue to Rs 2,342 crore for the quarter ended June 30, driven by rising demand for loans. The company's operating profit for the three-month period came in at Rs 84 crore as against an operating loss of Rs 275 crore for the corresponding period a year ago.

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