Alembic, Blue Star, CESC & Chambal Fert results

CORPORATE SCORECARD

Alembic net up 100% to Rs 18.47 crore

The Vadodara-based pharmaceutical major, Alembic Limited has reported over 100 per cent rise in its net profit at Rs 18.47 crore in the third quarter of the current financial year against Rs 7.50 crore of net profit it reported in the corresponding period of the last year.

The company, which reported almost flat sales in the third quarter at Rs 159.67 crore against Rs 159.43 crore of sales reported in the third quarter of the last financial year, has attributed the rise in net profit to higher formulations sales as a percentage of total sales in the quaarter at 76 percent as against 70 per cent of sales of previous corresponding quarter ended on December 31, 2003.

EPS for the third quarter of 2004-05 is Rs 6.87 and for the nine months ended on December 2004 is Rs 17.08. The corresponding previous figures are Rs 2.94 and Rs 8.57, respectively.

The company's new R&D facility is already commissioned during the third quarter while Alembic has introduced 11 new products including line extension during the current year. Nine months ended on December 31, 2004, Alembic reported sales of Rs 455.31 crore which is lower than sales of Rs 473.58 crore reported by the Company by end of December 31, 2003.

Blue Star net up 55% to Rs 5.93 crore

Blue Star, the central air-conditioning and commercial refrigeration major, has reported a 55.4 per cent increase in net profit to Rs 5.93 crore during the third quarter ended December 31, 2004 against Rs 3.82 crore in the corresponding period last year.

Total income stood at Rs 224.14 crore in the three months ending December 31, 2004, representing a growth of 52.4 per cent over the total income of Rs 147.07 crore in the corresponding period last year.

Other income declined from Rs 1.89 crore to Rs 32 lakhs in the December quarter. Total expenditure increased to Rs 211.71 crore during the period under review from Rs 138.81 crore in the third quarter of 2003-04.

Earnings per share increased to Rs 3.30 from Rs 2.12. Interest costs and depreciation increased to Rs 91 lakhs and Rs 3.57 crore in the third quarter of FY 05 as compared with Rs 55 lakhs and Rs 2.62 crore respectively.

In the nine months ending December 31, 2004, total income grew 34.8 per cent to Rs 611.43 crore and the net profit increased by 51.9 per cent to Rs 18.28 crore.

The company's net profit stood at Rs 12.04 on a total income of Rs 453.58 crore in the nine month period ending December 31, 2003.

Ashok Advani, chairman & chief executive of Blue Star said, "The Indian economy has been growing at a rapid pace and with the construction boom, investments in infrastructure projects, and growth in the services sector, the net profit as well as revenue growth of the company have substantially improved in the nine month period ended December 31, 2004."

CESC net up 113% to Rs 32 crore

CESC Ltd has posted a growth of 113.33 per cent in net profit to Rs 32 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2004 compared with Rs 15 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2003. Total income has increased from Rs 547 crore in the third quarter of December 31, 2003 to Rs 554 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2004.

Pursuant to determination of tariff for the year 2004-05 by West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission (`Commission`) by its order dated May 24, 2004, the revenue for the period upto July 2004 has been calculated at the average tariff determined by the Commission and as per consumer category-wise billing with effect from August 2004, in terms of the said order.

Chambal Fert net up 78% to Rs 108.35 cr

Chambal Fertilizers & Chemicals posted a 77.76 per cent jump in net profit at Rs 108.35 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2004 compared with Rs 60.95 crore for the same quarter last fiscal.

Total income increased 16.24 per cent to Rs 1020.23 crore in the third quarter against rs 877.64 crore in the year-ago period, the company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange.