Author: Rasmita Jena

Gujarat Gas has announced a price increase for CNG (Compressed Natural Gas), starting December 1. The new price will be Rs 77.76 per kg across the state, which is an increase of Rs 1.5 per kg. This is the third price hike in just a few months—there were earlier increases of Re 1 in July and another in August.

The new price goes into effect starting midnight on Saturday. This change will affect over 400,000 CNG vehicle users in South Gujarat, where there are about 250 CNG pumps, including 60 in Surat. Many auto-rickshaws and school vans use CNG, so these fare charges may also go up due to this price hike.

Big Changes Ahead for Gujarat Gas!

In other news, Gujarat Gas is merging with Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) and Gujarat State Petronet Ltd (GSPL) to make it easier to manage the company. This merger could help Gujarat Gas earn more money, with a projected increase in earnings per share (EPS) by 5 to 7% after new shares are issued.

The merger will be complete by August 2025 and will involve a big change in shareholding. As a result, the Gujarat government’s stake in Gujarat Gas will decrease from 60.9% to 25.9%, while other government entities will hold about 29%. Minority shareholders will own the rest.

Shares of Bandhan Bank Ltd. increased by 0.2% to Rs 169.30 on Monday afternoon, around 01:26 PM (IST), while the main stock market index, Nifty, was at 24,157.35, up by 26.25 points. The stock had closed at Rs 168.95 in the previous trading session.

Over the past year, the lowest price for the stock was Rs 163.00, and the highest was Rs 263.15. The bank has a market value of Rs 27,273.74 crore on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). So far, 197,455 shares have been traded today.

Currently, the stock is priced at 9.78 times its earnings per share (EPS) of Rs 17.31 from the last 12 months and 1.34 times its book value. The return on equity (ROE), which shows how well the company makes money, is Rs 10.33.

For the quarter ending on September 30, 2024, Bandhan Bank reported total sales of Rs 6,094.53 crore, which is a 21.11% increase compared to the same period last year.

Adani Power Ltd. saw its shares rise by 1.52% to reach Rs 546.10 by 1:31 PM IST on Monday. The stock had a strong start to the day. According to Niftystat, a total of 648,190 shares were traded, bringing in Rs 35.77 crore in sales by the same time.

The company’s stock currently has a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 16.57 and a price-to-book (P/B) ratio of 5.78. This means investors are willing to pay about 16 times what the company earns per share, and the P/B ratio shows how the current share price compares to the company’s value.

Adani Power’s return on equity (ROE) is outstanding at 58.53%, indicating that the company generates a lot of profit from its shareholders’ investments. During the day, the stock reached a highest price of Rs 566.00 and a lowest price of Rs 543.25. Its 52-week range shows it hit a high of Rs 896.75 and a low of Rs 417.10.

The stock is considered quite volatile with a beta value of 2.8409, meaning it moves more than the overall market.

Looking at the technical indicators, the 200-day moving average (200-DMA) was Rs 634.12, while the 50-day moving average (50-DMA) stood at Rs 595.54. If a stock is priced above these averages, it usually suggests prices could continue to rise. However, if it’s below these averages, it might indicate a downward trend. If the stock is in between, it means the price could go either way.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) measures how the stock is performing. Currently, it is at 48.7. An RSI above 70 signals that a stock is too expensive, while an RSI below 30 suggests it’s too cheap.

As of September 30, 2024, the promoters own 74.96% of the company. Foreign institutional investors have 12.66% and domestic institutional investors hold 1.52%.

Anuj Kumar, the Director and CEO of CAMS, talked about how the market has changed lately. He mentioned that, despite some ups and downs, CAMS is optimistic about the future and thinks that FY25 will be one of the best years for the company in the last five or six years.

Kumar highlighted that CAMS is winning about 70% to 80% of new projects. The company focuses on doing its job well and helping its clients grow their businesses. Although profits will grow slowly—about 1% to 1.5% each year—CAMS feels positive about its performance.

When asked about mutual funds, Kumar agreed that CAMS is in a great place since 86-87% of its earnings come from mutual funds. He noted that CAMS experienced a fantastic last quarter with 32% revenue growth and 40% profit growth, making it one of the best times in his nine years with the company.

While CAMS expects revenue growth to be between 26% and 28% in the coming quarter, they anticipate profits to grow in the mid-30% range for the year. Kumar expressed confidence that the overall performance in FY25 will be strong.

CAMS currently focuses mostly on mutual funds, but also has some other services like payments and insurance management. They believe in continuing their current strategy and are not rushing to invest cash unless it really fits the company’s focus.

For mutual funds, they expect about 14-15% profit growth over the next three years, while non-mutual fund businesses could grow over 20%. They are also investing in technology, including security and AI, which will help them perform better in the digital world.

Kumar explained that their business model, where companies rely on outsourcing services like CAMS, is hard to replace. Even with new players like Jio Financial Services entering the market, it’s still a complicated business that requires years of investment to compete effectively.

CAMS has maintained a strong position, having about 70% of the market share for several years. They continue to focus on helping clients grow while managing their own performance, expecting easy growth in their margins as well.