Va Tech Wabag Ltd. - Update
VA Tech Wabag Ltd, a company in the water and sewage treatment industry, saw its shares jump by 6% on Monday. It won a contract to set up a Rs.220 crore sewage treatment plant (STP) in the Varanasi part of the Ganga river conservation project. This win takes its order book size to around Rs.5,600 crore, up 8% from September-end and 2.5 times the previous fiscal’s sales level.
The government’s thrust on better sanitation facilities is throwing up more opportunities for companies such as VA Tech Wabag. “Based on Government of India’s data, it is estimated that a total investment of around Rs.1,350 crore is required for setting up sewage treatment plants in both class I and class II cities and further Rs.180 crore is needed for its operation and maintenance,” Anand Rathi Share and Stock Brokers Ltd said in a note.
Apart from sewage treatment, the outlook for the desalination business is also improving. The Tamil Nadu government plans to build two more desalination projects in Chennai. Gujarat, Karnataka, Seemandhra and West Bengal also have plans to build desalination projects, ICICI Securities Ltd said in a note.
If these projected investments take place, VA Tech Wabag, which has 14% market share in India, can expect better order inflows.
In an interview to CNBC TV18, Rajiv Mittal, chief executive officer of VA Tech Wabag, said the company expects more orders in January-March and expressed confidence of meeting the current fiscal order inflow guidance. :thumb: :clapping:
The ambitious Ganga river cleaning and conservation project, for instance, is estimated to entail a capital expenditure of almost Rs.50,000 crore, ICICI Securities Ltd said in a note. Similarly, the Delhi government’s sewage master plan is estimated to cost Rs.19,500 crore. The Delhi government project is at a nascent stage. But if the current order inflow trend continues—the company had won two contracts in the Philippines in the December quarter—Wabag’s sales and margins could see a steady increase.
The Indian and South East Asian business—which contributes half of Wabag’s revenue—carries better margins than its European subsidiaries. This, along with the focus on moving operations from high cost to less expensive countries like India can aid margins, too. From a level of 9.3% in the previous fiscal, ICICI Securities expects the company’s Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) margin to expand to 9.6% this year and further to 10% next year.
Improvement in margins and new order inflows will play a critical role in determining if VA Tech Wabag’s stock outperformance continues. Post last year’s rally, the stock is already trading at 28 times the current fiscal and 24 times the next year’s earnings per share estimates.