State-owned power equipment maker BHEL posted more than doubling of its standalone net profit to Rs 457.12 crore for the March quarter of last fiscal on higher revenues.
Its net profit was Rs 215.55 crore for the January-March quarter of the preceding fiscal, 2016-17, BHEL said in a statement.
The total income of the company was Rs 10,341.58 crore in the fourth quarter of 2017-18, slightly down from Rs 10,476.28 crore a year ago. The turnover (sales) for the quarter was Rs 9,833 crore as against Rs 9,479 crore in the last year.
The company's standalone net profit for the entire fiscal, 2017-18 was Rs 806.60 crore, up from Rs 495.86 in the previous fiscal. The turnover was Rs 27,850 crore, as against Rs 27,740 crore in the previous year.
It said the turnover for 2017-18 would have been higher by Rs 488 crore totalling to Rs 28,338 crore, a jump of 2.2 per cent over the previous year, considering the duties and taxes on bought-out items and Civil Turnover which were forming part of the turnover in the pre-GST regime.
An interim equity dividend of 40 per cent has been paid for 2017-18, on the enhanced equity following a bonus issue earlier in the year, maintaining the track-record of paying dividends uninterruptedly since 1976-77.
In addition, the company has recommended a final dividend of 51 per cent, subject to the approval of shareholders. With this, the total dividend for the year 2017-18 would stand at 91 per cent, on the enhanced equity. This will be the highest dividend in last four years.
Talking to PTI, BHEL Chairman and Managing Director Atul Sobti said: "Prudent strategies of garnering higher market share in a shrunken and highly competitive business environment enabled the BHEL to book orders worth Rs 40,932 crore in 2017-18. Significantly, this is a quantum jump of 74 per cent over 2016-17."
Sobti said, "Focus on increased localisation of supercritical technology, higher technology depth, and design optimization enabled the company to enhance its competitiveness and strengthen its leadership in the power plant and associated equipment segment of the Indian utility market."
"The enhanced thrust on enlarging non-coal business has resulted in an upsurge with order inflows from the industry sector business segment at the highest level in the last six years. This includes highest ever orders won in transportation, defence, aerospace and water business resulting from our unflinching focus on increasing non-coal business. "