Ravi Ananthanarayanan
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Past articles by Ravi:
FMCG stocks back in favour as costs beat a retreat
The BSE FMCG index is still down by 9.3% since end-August, but is up by that same rate over its lows of early-October → Read More
Smaller FMCG firms race ahead, put bigger rivals on notice
The rapid growth in revenue of local and regional FMCG companies can throw up a few risks for their national peers → Read More
Q2 results: Hindalco’s domestic outlook hinges on foreign actors
How Hindalco does from here will depend more on external factors such as China’s economic strength and a patch-up on the trade war front → Read More
Marico Q2 results: Getting off the inflation tiger
Rising costs of copra have been singeing Marico’s profit margins in earlier quarters. Now that they are declining, margins should improve. But it’s not that simple → Read More
Lupin’s Q2 results offers hope of a revival
Lupin’s sales growth stabilized in the September quarter but margins are stuck in a rut → Read More
The message for the Horlicks maker in the Complan deal
Horlicks maker GSK Consumer’s sales growth has slowed down and it also faces similar market challenges as former Complan maker Heinz India → Read More
Hindustan Zinc dividend payout offsets dull Q2 results
Hindustan Zinc shareholders must be holding on to hope that the dip in the performance in the September quarter is temporary → Read More
India’s rising steel demand is making companies starry-eyed
World Steel Association, a global industry body, released its short-range demand outlook this week, saying what was already known that India’s growth ranks highest among major steel-consuming countries, but the gap is widening sharply → Read More
HUL Q2: Rising input costs face off against healthy demand growth
While HUL sales rose by 11.5% in Q2, its costs increased by 12.9% over a year ago, reflecting the creeping effect of inflation in crude oil-based inputs and rupee fall → Read More
HUL Q2 signals pick-up in consumer demand
Hindustan Unilever Ltd’s (HUL) double-digit growth has exceeded estimates, and going forward, the demand outlook remains healthy → Read More
Demand remains a bright spot for steel companies in second quarter
While India’s steel industry seems to be in good shape, the chief risk it faces is external → Read More
Sweeping price hikes may invite backlash for FMCG companies
If consumers feel the pinch and politicians stir the pot, the government could turn the screws on the FMCG sector → Read More
In Aurobindo Pharma’s US acquisition, beauty runs skin deep
Aurobindo is acquiring the dermatology business which contributes to 30% of the acquired business’s revenues, with the remaining contributed by the oral solids business → Read More
Are high FMCG valuations about to get in touch with reality?
While the sales growth situation looks promising for companies, this needs to trickle down to higher profit growth. About half of most FMCG companies’ sales go towards meeting input costs → Read More
Nestle India: Noodles good, coffee better in first half of 2018
As growth in Maggi noodles comes to more normal levels, Nestle India needs other categories to step up—the confectionery segment has done so in the first half → Read More
Why Trump need not worry about quarterly reporting of earnings
Quarterly earnings reporting ensures more information symmetry among institutional and individual investors → Read More
Why auditors are under scrutiny from regulators and investors, globally
One of the main issues concerns the separation of the audit and consulting work that the top firms offer to the same companies → Read More
Fortis Healthcare: What now, after IHH entry and June quarter loss?
Only time will tell whether it will be business as usual, or IHH Healthcare will make significant changes in how the Fortis hospitals are run and its expansion plans → Read More
Mayday, Mayday: Auditors on high alert
The regulatory glare on auditors is increasing. The ripple effects are being felt across the Indian business ecosystem → Read More
Q1 results: Sun Pharma’s US business peeps out from clouds
What is surprising is that despite the increase in sales in the US, Sun Pharma’s gross margins have declined both from a year earlier and sequentially → Read More