It was a sense of déjà vu for the automobile sector in May as Covid second wave swept across the country, once again triggering state-wise and localised lockdowns. Owing to this, automobile companies posted extremely muted sales figure, with high double-digit month-on-month (MoM) decline across segments. This was for the second straight month that the auto sales figures took a hit and analysts expect volumes to remain subdued in June too amid Covid-led disruptions. But will this phenomenon last long? Analysts tracking the sector expect the pent-up demand story to play out from the second quarter of the financial year 2021-22 (Q2FY22) as states unlock. Furthermore, pick up in vaccination pace also holds the key for a revival in the auto space, they said.
Mumbai: Shares of
Tata Steel on Thursday hit record highs after nearly 14 years extending the recent bullish momentum driven by a resurgence in global metal prices. The company’s market value crossed Rs 1 lakh crore for the first time earlier this week as analysts said the stock has room to run up more in the near future.
The stock, which hit a record high of Rs 953.10 on Thursday, closed at Rs 922, up 5.4 per cent over the previous day. Its previous record was on October 29, 2007 when the price touched Rs 914. Since then, the stock has been an underperformer because of weak global metal prices.
After a phenomenal rally since March 2020 low that saw the Nifty Auto index jump 132 per cent since then compared to a 93 per cent gain in the Nifty50, the rally in auto stocks may pause for now as demand cools off and companies grapple with supply-side issues, say analysts. Valuation at which some of the auto stocks are trading at is another concern. PV manufacturers are trading at expensive valuation and I do not find much comfort there. Instead, investors can look at two-wheeler manufacturers and auto ancillaries. They are a better bet given the current industry dynamics. Overall, the blanket rally in auto stocks is likely to take a breather for now, says G Chokkalingam, founder and chief investment officer at Equinomics Research.