Business Standard

Symphony: Acquisitio­n to aid revenue growth

Climate Technologi­es buy will double its foreign market share

- RAM PRASAD SAHU

After shedding over 27 per cent since May, given the low demand conditions in the summer season, the Symphony stock gained 4 per cent after it announced plans to acquire Australia's Climate Technologi­es. The over ~2-billion acquisitio­n will provide India's largest air cooling company a 50 per cent organised market share access to the Australian and US markets.

Further, given the opposite seasonal trends in Australia and India, the business is expected to derisk its revenue flow. The valuations, according to analysts, are attractive at 7.3 times the enterprise value to operating profit and 0.7 times the enterprise value to sales. Analysts at

IIFL Institutio­nal Equities expect the acquisitio­n to add 9-13 per cent to Symphony's consolidat­ed net profit in 2018-19 and 2019-20. They expect revenues to improve by 27-35 per cent due to the deal on the back of a large export market in the US and Australia for the company's portable air coolers. Sourcing benefits and cost optimisati­on could add to these estimates.

The acquisitio­n is in line with its strategic plan of expanding its internatio­nal reach, extending to industrial cooling solutions and launching technology­driven coolers. The company, which currently gets 22 per cent from internatio­nal markets, will double its overseas markets share after the acquisitio­n.

While Climate Technologi­es is a leading Australian cooling company with a 30 per cent share, it has grown at 9 per cent over the last three financial years and growth is expected to come from the US market. The company expects growth to be at 14 per cent over 2018-21 led by the US, which at about $300 million is the largest cooling market in the world.

In addition to the internatio­nal market, analysts at HDFC Securities are bullish on the Symphony stock due to the rising demand for coolers, large unorganise­d market and consistent product innovation. The stock is trading at 32 times its 2019-20 earnings estimates and given that the target price is upwards of ~2,000, it could give meaningful returns from current levels.

The acquisitio­n is in line with Symphony’s strategic plan of expanding its internatio­nal reach, extending to industrial cooling solutions and launching technology-driven coolers

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