Top Gainers & Losers: Maggi maker Nestle India jumps amid market rally, healthcare stocks decline

Top Gainers & Losers: The Indian markets ended the last session of the financial year 2022-23 on a high note, tracking firm global markets and supportive local cues. Besides, fresh foreign fund inflows also added to the positive momentum in the equity market.

The benchmark indices – NSE Nifty50 and BSE Sensex – extended the positive tone as the session progressed and settled at 17,359.75 and 58,991.52 levels; up by 1.63 and 1.78 per cent respectively. Read more on the March 31 session in the Indian share market

All sectors contributed to the move wherein energy, IT, and banking deserve special mention. In line with the trend, the market breadth was also inclined strongly on the advancing side.

Among Nifty50 stocks, 43 advanced and the remaining seven were in the red at the close today. Reliance Industries, Nestle India, Infosys, ICICI Bank, and Tata Motors were among the top gainers, while Apollo Hospital dipped the most followed by Sun Pharma, Adani Ports, Asian Paints, and Bajaj Finance.

Markets are taking comfort from stable global markets and expect the positive tone to continue, Ajit Mishra, VP - Technical Research, Religare Broking Ltd said in a post-market comment.

On the index front, Nifty has finally ended a 2-week-long consolidation phase 16,800-17,200 and it might take a breather around 17,400 before marching towards 17,600 levels, Mishra also said.

Amid all positivity, participants shouldn’t go overboard and maintain their focus on stock selection, the market analyst said advising investors and traders.

Here's a look at some of the blue-chip stocks that moved the most on Friday:

Nestle India

Maggi maker Nestle India shares on Friday ended as among the top gainers on the Nifty50 and BSE Sensex. The stock grew more than three per cent to Rs 19,680 per share on the NSE.

Global brokerage firm UBS is optimistic on Nestle's revenue and volume growth mainly on the factors such as strong brand equity and leadership; pricing and premiumisation levers; focus on accelerating growth in rural markets; product innovation; and increased capital expenditure.

The brokerage reiterates a ‘buy’ rating on Nestle India with a target price of Rs 23,000 per share, implying a nearly 17 per cent upside in the stock.

Infosys

IT major Infosys shares on Friday closed as among top gainers on Nifty and Sensex. The counter was up three per cent to Rs 1425.7 per share on the NSE.

Despite Infosys’ cautious outlook on a few verticals, Saptarshi Mukherjee of BoB Caps believes the company’s strength in managing the twin journeys of digital transformation and cost takeout will drive growth leadership.

The brokerage retains a ‘buy’ rating on the stock with a target price of Rs 1,760 per share, which implies a 23.5 per cent rise in the stock.

Apollo Hospitals

In an otherwise stellar market on Friday, Apollo Hospitals shares ended as a top loser on the Nifty index. The counter settled at Rs 4306.2 per share, down more than a per cent on the NSE.

Zee Business panelist and market expert Rakesh Bansal has been bullish on Apollo Hospitals mainly on the good technical outlook. He believes the stock may show a big up move as all moving averages are merging and can become a top contender of the April Series for bumper returns.

The analyst suggests to ‘buy’ Apollo Hospitals for a target price of Rs 4,700 apiece, with a stop loss of Rs 4,200 per share.