Maruti at new high, stock triples in six months

Maruti Suzuki zoomed to a high of Rs 1,397, and finally settled at Rs 1,378, up 6.5% from the previous close. The counter witnessed trades of  482,292 shares, four times its two-week daily average traded volumes of 143,563 shares.
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(Updated at 1253 hrs)

Maruti Suzuki, climbed to an all-time high of Rs 1,357, on the BSE today, backed by 25.4% rise in first quarterly net profit beating analysts' estimates. The earnings are achieved due to higher exports and increase in demand for its new car models.

The stock opened at Rs 1,306 and is now at Rs 1,341, up 3.5%. The counter has witnessed trades of around 224,000 shares, around double its two-week average traded quantity of 143,564 shares. The stock touched a low of Rs 1,295.

The scrip has surged 26.82% within a month. It has zoomed nearly three-fold within six months, up 163% (Rs 842) from Rs 515 on January 23, 2009. The stock listed at Rs 158.40, on July 9, 2003 as against the IPO (Initial Public Offering) of Rs 125. It has soared nearly 1000% or gained 11 times from its IPO price at current levels.

Maruti Suzuki, the country’s largest car manufacturer, registered a net profit of Rs 583.5 crore for the quarter ended June,2009 as against Rs 465.9 crore earned for the same quarter last year. Total sales for the period between April and June this year rose by 34%, to Rs 6,340 crore.

Operating profit for the quarter ending June increased by about 45% to Rs 641 crore. The EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest Taxes Depreciation and Amortisation) was marginally up from 12.1% last year to 12.5% this year.

Maruti Suzuki manufacturer and exporter of automobiles, collaborated with Suzuki of Japan. Suzuki Motor Corp of Japan, which is one of the largest automobile giants has 54% stake in Maruti Suzuki.

While sales for the overall passenger vehicle industry for the April–June period grew by 3.8%, Maruti Suzuki’s vehicle sales grew by an impressive 9.61%, selling 197,415 units. The company’s surge in sales revenue comes from both selling more units of vehicles and deriving better margins from new models like the A-Star and the Ritz in the domestic market.