The sale of the subsidiary may also signal that the company is reviewing its business plan for the long term
“The national aspiration of a regional player doesn’t seem to be working. The sale signifies the fact that it is well-nigh difficult for a regional player to go national,” said Shyam Sekhar, who runs investment advisory firm iThought (Representational Image)
‘); $ (‘#lastUpdated_’+articleId).text(resData[stkKey][‘lastupdate’]); //if(resData[stkKey][‘percentchange’] > 0){ // $ (‘#greentxt_’+articleId).removeClass(“redtxt”).addClass(“greentxt”); // $ (‘.arw_red’).removeClass(“arw_red”).addClass(“arw_green”); //}else if(resData[stkKey][‘percentchange’] < 0){ // $ (‘#greentxt_’+articleId).removeClass(“greentxt”).addClass(“redtxt”); // $ (‘.arw_green’).removeClass(“arw_green”).addClass(“arw_red”); //} if(resData[stkKey][‘percentchange’] >= 0){ $ (‘#greentxt_’+articleId).removeClass(“redtxt”).addClass(“greentxt”); //$ (‘.arw_red’).removeClass(“arw_red”).addClass(“arw_green”); $ (‘#gainlosstxt_’+articleId).find(“.arw_red”).removeClass(“arw_red”).addClass(“arw_green”); }else if(resData[stkKey][‘percentchange’] < 0){ $ (‘#greentxt_’+articleId).removeClass(“greentxt”).addClass(“redtxt”); //$ (‘.arw_green’).removeClass(“arw_green”).addClass(“arw_red”); $ (‘#gainlosstxt_’+articleId).find(‘.arw_green’).removeClass(“arw_green”).addClass(“arw_red”); } $ (‘#volumetxt_’+articleId).show(); 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stockWidget(‘N’,stkId,articleId); }); $ (‘#stk-b-‘+articleId).click(function(){ stkId = jQuery.trim($ (this).attr(‘stkId’)); stockWidget(‘B’,stkId,articleId); $ (‘.bselivelist’).hide(); }); $ (‘#stk-n-‘+articleId).click(function(){ stkId = jQuery.trim($ (this).attr(‘stkId’)); stockWidget(‘N’,stkId,articleId); $ (‘.bselivelist’).hide(); }); } $ (“.bselivelist”).focusout(function(){ $ (“.bselivelist”).hide(); //hide the results }); function bindMenuClicks(articleId){ $ (‘#watchlist-‘+articleId).click(function(){ var stkId = $ (this).attr(‘stkId’); overlayPopupWatchlist(0,2,1,stkId); }); $ (‘#portfolio-‘+articleId).click(function(){ var dispId = $ (this).attr(‘dispId’); pcSavePort(0,1,dispId); }); } $ (‘.mc-modal-close’).on(‘click’,function(){ $ (‘.mc-modal-wrap’).css(‘display’,’none’); $ (‘.mc-modal’).removeClass(‘success’); $ (‘.mc-modal’).removeClass(‘error’); }); function overlayPopupWatchlist(e, t, n,stkId) { $ (‘.srch_bx’).css(‘z-index’,’999′); typparam1 = n; if(readCookie(‘nnmc’)) { var lastRsrs =new Array(); lastRsrs[e]= stkId; if(lastRsrs.length > 0) { var resStr=”; var url = ‘//www.moneycontrol.com/mccode/common/saveWatchlist.php’; $ .get( “//www.moneycontrol.com/mccode/common/rhsdata.html”, function( data ) { $ (‘#backInner1_rhsPop’).html(data); $ .ajax({url:url, type:”POST”, dataType:”json”, data:{q_f:typparam1,wSec:secglbVar,wArray:lastRsrs}, success:function(d) { if(typparam1==’1′) // rhs { var appndStr=”; var newappndStr = makeMiddleRDivNew(d); appndStr = newappndStr[0]; var titStr=”;var editw=”; var typevar=”; var pparr= new Array(‘Monitoring your investments regularly is important.’,’Add your transaction details to monitor your stock`s performance.’,’You can also track your Transaction History and Capital Gains.’); var phead =’Why add to Portfolio?’; if(secglbVar ==1) { var stkdtxt=’this stock’; var fltxt=’ it ‘; typevar =’Stock ‘; if(lastRsrs.length>1){ stkdtxt=’these stocks’; typevar =’Stocks ‘;fltxt=’ them ‘; } } //var popretStr =lvPOPRHS(phead,pparr); //$ (‘#poprhsAdd’).html(popretStr); 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alert(‘Please select at least one ‘+disNam); } } else { AFTERLOGINCALLBACK = ‘overlayPopup(‘+e+’, ‘+t+’, ‘+n+’)’; commonPopRHS(); /*work_div = 1; typparam = t; typparam1 = n; check_login_pop(1)*/ } } function pcSavePort(param,call_pg,dispId) { var adtxt=”; if(readCookie(‘nnmc’)){ if(call_pg == “2”) { pass_sec = 2; } else { pass_sec = 1; } var url = ‘//www.moneycontrol.com/mccode/common/saveWatchlist.php’; $ .ajax({url:url, type:”POST”, //data:{q_f:3,wSec:1,dispid:$ (‘input[name=sc_dispid_port]’).val()}, data:{q_f:3,wSec:pass_sec,dispid:dispId}, dataType:”json”, success:function(d) { //var accStr= ”; //$ .each(d.ac,function(i,v) //{ // accStr+=”+v.nm+”; //}); $ .each(d.data,function(i,v) { if(v.flg == ‘0’) { var modalContent = ‘Scheme added to your portfolio.’; var modalStatus = ‘success’; //if error, use ‘error’ $ (‘.mc-modal-content’).text(modalContent); $ (‘.mc-modal-wrap’).css(‘display’,’flex’); $ (‘.mc-modal’).addClass(modalStatus); //$ (‘#acc_sel_port’).html(accStr); //$ (‘#mcpcp_addportfolio .form_field, .form_btn’).removeClass(‘disabled’); 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$ (“#lightbox_cb”).remove(); $ (“body”).append(”); $ (“#lightbox_cb”).css({ filter: “alpha(opacity=80)” }).fadeIn()*/ $ (“#myframe”).attr(‘src’,’https://accounts.moneycontrol.com/mclogin/?d=2′); $ (“#LoginModal”).modal(); } function overlay(n) { document.getElementById(‘back’).style.width = document.body.clientWidth + “px”; document.getElementById(‘back’).style.height = document.body.clientHeight +”px”; document.getElementById(‘back’).style.display = ‘block’; jQuery.fn.center = function () { this.css(“position”,”absolute”); var topPos = ($ (window).height() – this.height() ) / 2; this.css(“top”, -topPos).show().animate({‘top’:topPos},300); this.css(“left”, ( $ (window).width() – this.width() ) / 2); return this; } setTimeout(function(){$ (‘#backInner’+n).center()},100); } function closeoverlay(n){ document.getElementById(‘back’).style.display = ‘none’; document.getElementById(‘backInner’+n).style.display = ‘none’; } stk_str=”; stk.forEach(function (stkData,index){ if(index==0){ stk_str+=stkData.stockId.trim(); }else{ stk_str+=’,’+stkData.stockId.trim(); } }); $ .get(‘//www.moneycontrol.com/techmvc/mc_apis/stock_details/?sc_id=’+stk_str, function(data) { stk.forEach(function (stkData,index){ $ (‘#stock-name-‘+stkData.stockId.trim()+’-‘+article_id).text(data[stkData.stockId.trim()][‘nse’][‘shortname’]); }); }); function redirectToTradeOpenDematAccountOnline(){ if (stock_isinid && stock_tradeType) { window.open(`https://www.moneycontrol.com/open-demat-account-online?classic=true&script_id=$ {stock_isinid}&ex=$ {stock_tradeType}&site=web&asset_class=stock&utm_source=moneycontrol&utm_medium=articlepage&utm_campaign=tradenow&utm_content=webbutton`, ‘_blank’); } }
India Cements’ sale of a limestone mining subsidiary may be an indication that its plan to go national has failed, analysts said.
The Chennai-based company on October 10 said it sold Springway Mining (SMPL) to Parth Jindal–led JSW Cement for Rs 476.87 crore. SMPL owns limestone-bearing land in Madhya Pradesh, where it is setting up a cement plant. Limestone is an ingredient used in making cement.
ICL had invested heavily on adjacent assets such as coal mines, shipping and limestone-bearing land to optimise costs, said Krishna Kumar, director at Lion Hill Capital.
“This seems to have not played out the way ICL would have wished,” he said, adding, “Investing in adjacent assets was seen as a part of its strategy to become a national player. The sale of SMPL signals a review of its business plan and also long-term direction.”
ICL had acquired SMPL in October 2018 for Rs 182.92 crore and its sale four years later may be a reflection of the reality faced by the largest cement producer in south India. A combination of factors — poor demand in the south, escalating costs, and high debt — may have forced the ICL management to take a hard look at its strategy.
“We need cash flows to fund operations since input costs have gone up significantly,” said N Venkateswaran, joint president of operations at ICL.
ICL has already received Rs 373.87 crore from the sale of SMPL and will get Rs 103 crore by December upon the completion of certain conditions. The total consideration is Rs 603 crore, including a loan component of Rs 127 crore, according to Venkateswaran.
Southern strength
Experts said the ICL management may have veered round to the view that in the current situation, the company will be better off by fortifying its presence in its core region, which is the south.
Significant improvement in logistics appears to have nudged the management to rejig its business strategy. Since cement manufacturers in the south have already made forays into the eastern region, experts said ICL could still service the central region from its operational stronghold in Andhra Pradesh.
“The national aspiration of a regional player doesn’t seem to be working. The sale signifies the fact that it is well-nigh difficult for a regional player to go national,” said Shyam Sekhar, who runs investment advisory firm iThought. “For a national player, it isn’t that difficult to enter the regional market. A national player like Ultratech has indeed managed to enter Tamil Nadu.”
ICL’s quarterly profit had been declining until March 2022. The company has gross debt of about Rs 2,000 crore, which it intends to pare by Rs 550 crore this year.
In this context, the sale of SMPL makes sense for ICL, experts said, adding that the existing balance sheet may not help ICL expand capacity, currently at about 15 million tonnes per annum. Expansion will mean spending in an inflationary ecosystem. Even if investments are made for expansion, it will take a few years for the additional capacity to fructify, and in the interim, there could be adverse implications for its balance sheet.
Viewed holistically, the ICL board has taken a prudent decision to palm off SMPL, which is a non-operating asset (with limestone but no plant) for the company at this point. The sale indicates that ICL is taking a hard review of its growth plans.
