Horlicks, Cranes, Dabur Pharma & Electrosteel Castings results

Boosted by the performance of its flagship brand, Horlicks, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (GSKCH) on Thursday announced a 19.7 per cent increase in net profit and a 13.2 per cent increase in sales for the quarter ended September 30, 2006. Net sales stood at Rs 329.1 crore, while net profit was Rs 36.2 crore.

The sales of Horlicks grew at double digits, driven by a new packaging and advertising initiative backed by effective consumer promotions.

Cranes Software net up 60% at Rs 21.93 cr

Cranes Software International (Cranes) has posted a net profit of Rs 21.93 crore in the second quarter ended September 30, 2006, a jump of 60 per cent from Rs 13.68 crore posted in the corresponding quarter of 2005-06.

The consolidated revenue of the company for the quarter grew 48 per cent to Rs 62.81 crore, against Rs 42.34 crore recorded during the corresponding quarter in FY06.

The earning per share (diluted) rose 34 per cent to Rs 1.81 from Rs 1.35 reported in the second quarter of 2005-06.

Dabur Pharma net up 46% at Rs 6.96 cr

Riding on product launches in markets such as Russia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, Dabur Pharma has reported 45.95 per cent rise in net profit at Rs 6.96 crore for the quarter ended September 30, compared with Rs 4.77 crore in the corresponding quarter last year.

The company, the country's largest oncology player with 20 per cent market share, sees the first drug approval in the US and those awaiting in Europe as its revenue drivers in the future. Net sales of the pharma company, focusing on the high-value segment of oncology, rose 33.5 per cent to Rs 97.80 crore in the quarter from Rs 73.23 crore in the same period last year. Commenting on the new US drug launch, Dabur Pharma Chairman Anand Burman said.

Electrosteel Castings PAT up 52%

Cashing in on cost advantage through backward integration, Electrosteel Castings (ECL) has recorded 52 per cent increase in PAT (profit after tax) to Rs 29.51 crore in the quarter ended September 2006 compared with the same period last year. The company's sales grew around 4 per cent for the quarter.

Its EBIDTA jumped 52 per cent to Rs 58.39 crore compared with Rs 38.4 crore. According to company officials, ECL had been able to reap benefits of the rise in direct reduced iron production capacity from 2 lakh tonne to 2.5 lakh tonne last year and the backward integration in commissioning its coke oven, sponge iron and power plant at its Haldia plant last year.