Kamdhenu Limited (KAMDHENU) Earnings Call Transcript & Summary

Ladies and gentlemen, good day, and welcome to Kamdhenu Limited Q4 FY '25 Earnings Conference Call. This conference call may contain forward-looking statements about the company, which are based on the beliefs, opinions, and expectations of the company as on date of this call. These statements are not the guarantees of the future performance, and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. [Operator Instructions] Please note that, this conference is being recorded. I now hand the conference over to Mr. Satish Agarwal, MD from Kamdhenu Limited. Thank you. And over to you, sir.

Good morning, and a very warm welcome to everyone present on the call. Along with me, I have Mr. Sunil Agarwal, Chairman of Kamdhenu Ventures Limited; Mr. Harish Agarwal, Group Chief Financial officer and SGA, our Investor Relations Adviser. We have uploaded our results and investor presentation for the quarter on the stock exchanges and company's website. Hope everyone had a chance to go through the same. Coming to our steel business first. India's steel demand is projected to grow by 9% in 2026, outpacing other major economies. This growth is driven by increased infrastructure development, housing projects, and rising demand for engineering and packaging sector. Government initiatives like the National Steel Policy, Make in India, and Atmanirbhar Bharat are further supporting this expansion with the domestic steel market expected to grow up from USD 102 billion in 2025 to USD 166.96 billion by 2030. India is well positioned to become a global leader in steel consumption and production. FY '25 was undeniably a challenging year, primarily due to the slowdown in construction activity. However, I'm proud to share that even in this tough environment we continue to maintain our growth trajectory. Our revenue for the year stood at INR 748 crores, a 3% year-on-year growth. Volumes from our own facility grew by 5%, while our franchisee-led volumes saw a 6% growth during the year. While average selling price for TMT bars was slightly softer, with a marginal year-on-year decline, we continue to hold a strong 20% market share in the organized retail branded TMT segment. This is a clear reflection of the deep consumer trust we have built in our brand. Our focus on offering high-quality products at affordable prices remains a key factor in sustaining our leadership in this space. One of the biggest strengths of our business is our brand. It's well known in the market for quality and reliability. This strong brand recognition has helped us grow our franchisee network and expand our presence across the country. Our franchisee partners are able to raise their average selling price after joining us, which improves their profitability. For us, this leads to higher royalty income, which grew by 8% this year to a record high of INR 139 crores. What makes this even better is that, it's a very capital-efficient revenue stream. It adds to our ROCE and helps us deliver strong returns without needing capital large investment. As we look ahead, our focus remains on strengthening our brand, expanding our franchisee network, and driving profitable growth. We will continue to invest in operational efficiency, product innovation, and deeper market penetration. The government's increased focus on infrastructure, including INR 11 lakh crores capital investment outlay announced in the Union Budget, is expected to further boost construction activity and drive demand for our products. With a strong foundation in place and a clear strategy, we are confident of building on this momentum and creating long-term value for our stakeholders. We are also exploring strategic stake acquisition in select franchisee units. This move is aimed to reshaping our franchisee model, while also contributing to the expansion of our in-house manufacturing capacity. Now, I would like to hand over the call to Mr. Sunil Agarwal to give you an update on the paint business. Thank you.

Thank you, and good morning, everyone. I would like to give you a brief update on the paints business for the year gone by. The Indian paint industry is poised, with a strong growth supported by rapid urbanization, higher disposable income, and increased infrastructure development. Government programs such as the Smart Cities Mission and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana are driving demand, especially in the decorative segment. Additionally, rising consumer interest in home decor and premium ecofriendly product is reshaping the market. With the recent announcement of the tax relief in the Union Budget, disposable income are expected to rise, further boosting demand as consumers increasingly invest in upgrading and beautifying their homes. The industry is projected to grow at a CAGR of around 9.4% through 2030, offering significant opportunities for expansion. During FY '25, the company reported a revenue of INR 266 crores and EBITDA of INR 17 crores. The year was marked by a challenging operating environment due to softer demand, slower construction activity, and high-end competition, which impacts our financial performance, despite these head by headwinds. Kamdhenu Paint remained focused on its strategic priorities, including driving product innovation, enhancing customer value through quality and affordability, and building long-term capabilities to negative the evolving market landscape. We are pleased to share that despite the challenging external environment, the company remained profitable throughout the year, closing FY '25 with a PAT of INR 7 crores. Our growth strategy continued to prioritize profitability and strong cash flow generation. Our ability to maintain profitability was driven by a strong focus on cost control and operational efficiency. Through process optimization, we successfully navigate the challenging environment. Our expansive dealer distribution network remain critical to our growth strategy, ensuring product accessibility across various markets, building a strong partnership with our dealers remaining a priority, as these relationships are essential for enhancing market penetration, particularly in semi-urban and rural areas. Our strategy continued to revolve around premiumization, which was -- which has been a key pillar of our strategy. We have consistently focused on offering a high-quality premium finish, which is evident in the steady rise of our average selling price from INR 58 per kg/per liter in financial year 2015 to INR 87 in financial year '25, an increase of about 15%. By expanding our product range, with superior and differentiated offering, we are meeting the growth consumer demand for quality and ecofriendly solutions. This not, only drive revenue, but also strengthen our margin profile. Our robust portfolio of high-quality products and competitive price position, as well meet the diverse needs of our customers. We remain confident in navigating the current demand environment, and are optimistic about resuming our growth trajectory as we continue to expand the innovate moving forward. Coming to way forward, our strategy going forward will be focused on climbing up the value chain by increasing the share of high-value, premium finis in our portfolio. This will help us drive higher average selling price and improve overall profitability. In the volume front, we plan to tap into a deeper dealer network and strengthen our supply chain capabilities, to ensure wider reach and better availability. Together, these efforts are aimed at delivering strong revenue growth and improved EBITDA margin in the year ahead. We believe we are well positioned to scale rapidly by leveraging our strong dealer-driven model and our ability to offer high-quality products at affordable price. At Kamdhenu Ventures, we remain committed to serving smaller and undeserved towns through our wide-reaching network of over 4,400 dealers across the country. With continued economic momentum and strong government support for rural development and infrastructure, we see growing demand for the paint product. We are excited about the opportunities ahead, and remain focused on driving sustainability growth with improved profitability and strong cash flow conversion. With this, I would hand over the call to our Group CFO, Mr. Harish Agarwal, for the financials. Thank you all.

Thank you, sir. First, I would like to take you through the financials of the steel business. First, I would like to share the highlights for Q4 FY '25. Our steel volume from franchisee route have stood at 9.4 lakh metric tonne in Q4 FY '25 compared to 9 lakh metric tonne in Q4 FY '24, a year-on-year growth of 5%. Our steel volume from own manufacturing stood at 31,950 metric tonne compared to 28,641 metric tonne, a year-on-year growth of 12%. Royalty income through franchisee stood at INR 38 crores in Q4 FY '25 as compared to INR 35 crores in Q4 FY '24, a growth of 9% year-on-year. Total revenue stood at INR 198 crores in Q4 FY '25 as compared to INR 176 crores in Q4 FY '24, a growth of 12% year-on-year. Our profit before tax stood at INR 23 crores in Q4 FY '25, which was flat on a year-on-year basis. Excluding the onetime credit loss reversal, we witnessed a growth of 26% year-on-year. Profit before tax margin stood at 11.4% for Q4 FY '25. Profit after tax stood at INR 17 crores for Q4 FY '25, a growth of 2% year-on-year. Now, I would like to share the highlights for the financial year 2025. Our steel volume from franchisee route have stood at 34.4 lakh metric tonne in FY '25, as compared to 32.6 lakh metric tonne in FY '24, year-on-year growth of 6%. Our steel volume from own manufacturing stood at 119,841 metric tonne as compared to 114,336 metric tonne, year-on-year growth of 5%. Royalty income through franchisee stood at INR 139 crores in FY '25 as compared to INR 129 crores in FY '24, a growth of 8% year-on-year. Total revenue stood at INR 748 crores in FY '25 as compared to INR 725 in FY '24, a growth of 3% year-on-year. Our profit before tax stood at INR 80 crores in FY '25 as compared to INR 67 crores in FY '24, a growth of 20% year-on-year basis. Profit before tax margin stood at 10.8% for FY '25. Profit after tax stood at INR 61 crores for FY '25 as compared to INR 50 crores in FY '24, a growth of 21% year-on-year. We continue to remain debt free as on March 31, 2025. ROCE and ROE stood at 25.5% and 19.2%, respectively. Let us go through the numbers of Kamdhenu Ventures Limited now. First, to give you the highlight for Q4 FY '25. Revenue for the quarter stood at INR 83 crores as compared to INR 85 crores in Q4 FY '24. EBITDA stood at INR 5 crores as compared to INR 7 crores in Q4 FY '24. EBITDA margin stood at 5.8% for Q4 FY '25. Profit after tax stood at INR 1.9 crores for Q4 FY '25 as compared to INR 4.2 crores in Q4 FY '24. Coming to the highlights for FY '25. Revenue for FY '25 stood at INR 266 crores as compared to INR 292 crores in FY '24. EBITDA stood at INR 17 crores for FY '25 as compared to INR 22 crores in FY '24. EBITDA margin stood at 6.3%. Profit after tax stood at INR 7 crores for FY '25 as compared to INR 14 crores in FY '24. Average selling price per kg in liter for FY '25 stood at INR 87. With this, I would like to open the floor for question and answer.

[Operator Instructions] The first question is from the line of Rohit Mehra from SK Securities.

So my first question is regarding our paint business. How much of the challenging environment is due to the competition? And how much is due to a slowing in construction and with broader demand?

[Foreign Language]

Got it, sir. So basically, the broader scenario is due to the competition and we may see a growth due to the government push, right? And same, sir, regarding -- one more thing regarding paint business that other brands are now focusing on advertising to younger audiences. So what are we doing differently to tackle this situation?

[Foreign Language]

Got it, sir. And my last question is regarding steel business. Given this was a slow year for construction and due to being an election year, and we had a muted quarter 1 because of that. Can we expect a return to high single-digit growth trajectory going forward?

See, in paint -- you're -- in steel?

Yes, steel as a whole, but steel, yes.

[Foreign Language]

The next question is from the line of Akshay Raut from DSM Securities.

Yes. So I have a couple of questions. The first is being on paint business. So have we closed any sales repos during the year? And if so, which region specifically we have closed?

[Foreign Language]

Okay. And the second question is on steel business. So post-fundraise, have we acquired any franchisee facilities? And can you share the quantum of funds which we have been invested till date?

So far, we have raised INR 45 crores from the total preferential issue of INR 97 crores. And it has been invested in the franchisee unit. And there are certain other expenditures for acquiring the office and brand strengthening, which as per the objective of that issue, we are using that fund. And the disclosure has already been given, what was projected and what amount have been spent against that expenditure. So it is published in the results, which is available on the website.

The next question is from the line of Sakshi Pratap from Pratap Securities.

2 questions on the paint business. How much is our planned CapEx for FY '26?

So far, we have not made any CapEx plan, except certain addition to the tinting machines and some balancing equipment. There is no major expenditure to be incurred in the paint business. In fact, rather, we are exploring the possibility to outsource the material from some units.

Okay. Any figure estimate that you would like to give?

It would be ranging between INR 10 crores to INR 15 crores only.

Okay. And are we looking through any price hikes as the major players are doing the same?

Can you repeat your question?

Are we planning through any price hikes for our paint business?

In fact, price hike in the paint business is driven by the major players like the new entrant Opus Birla and Asian Paints. If they increase their price, then the rest of companies also follow that line.

Okay. And about our steel business, could you share our target for franchisee additions in FY '26?

In fact, we are not focusing into the increase of the number of franchisees. Rather, we are focusing on the increase, the capacity of the existing units. And we are planning to increase by 20% of the capacity by end of this financial year, and also considering that out of that, around 10% to 12% will be operational within this financial year. So growth would be around 14% in terms of volume and the revenue of the royalty.

Understood. And lastly, sir, are there any new partnerships in progress that will support this expansion?

With regard to franchisee unit?

Yes, with regards to the overall steel business as well.

Yes, we are increasing the unit. We are -- in fact, we are expanding our capacity through the existing network only.

The next question is from the line of Pooja Mehta from JC Securities.

So I have a couple of questions related to steel business. Could you provide details on our brand expenses for the Q4 FY '25 and for the full year? And what level of brand expenses are projected for FY '26 to support anticipated growth? And my second question is, what are our aspirational targets for, say, revenue, PBT and PAT over the next 2 years? Like how are we positioning ourselves to meet this goal?

Okay, ma'am. Brand expenditure in the FY '25 was INR 74 crores, out of which INR 31 crores is spent by Kamdhenu and INR 43 crores by our franchisee units. And for FY '26, we are planning to increase it by 20% expenditure. And with regard to revenue, we are also expecting the increase of the bottom line by 20% to 25% in FY '26, '27.

[Operator Instructions] The next question is from the line of Rahul Shah from [ KS ] Securities.

I had a few questions. First being the value degrowth we have witnessed for FY '25 in the paint business is primarily attributed to sales or increased discounting due to competition?

In fact, this is a mix of that. Because of the new entrant, there is a -- you can say, turmoil in the market in terms of the pricing, in terms of the discount structure, in terms of the pressure on margins. So it is only because of the new entrant. So it will -- we are expecting to settle down in this financial year.

So sir, are we revising our guidance in this paint business going forward, because of the weak demand environment?

Yes, we are working. We are working on the premium product. We are also working on the R&D sector or the paint business. We are also developing new products, and we are also planning to import some good coatings. So we are strategizing our business to take it at the next level.

And sir, what -- which cities or states are you planning to add to our dealer presence for our paint business?

In fact, our North and East is the most sellable areas. But now we are entering, or you can say, we are increasing our presence in the South and in the West.

Okay. Got it. And sir, I had one last question about steel business. What have been the movement in realizations of TMT bars for the year? And has it stabilized?

Almost. If you take the average of FY '24 or take the average of FY '25 for the whole year, you can say around 2% prices were softer in 2025 as compared to '24. But now the price is almost steady, and I think we can say some upward trend.

1% to 2%.

1% to 2%.

The next question is from the line of Manohar, an individual investor.

My concern is the share prices of KAMOPAINTS has tanked by more than 80% in the past few months. Now 80% depicts some foul play in the system or incapability or incompetency of the promoters to run the business efficiently. As this is clearly losing of interest of investors in the company, which is Kamdhenu Paints, 10%, 20%, 30% is digestible. More than 80% of the market cap has been eroded in the past few months. May we know the reason for such poor and shameful performance of KAMOPAINTS? Can the promoters, Mr. Sunil and Mr. Satish comment on this, please?

Yes. This side, they are also with me on the speaker. I'm Harish Agarwal.

No, no, I want answer from Mr. promoters. Please, Harishji, don't answer my question. I've spoken to you many times, but I'm not able to digest your answers.

Okay, okay.

Mr. Sunil and Mr. Satish, could you please comment on this shameful performance of the business? 80% to 90% wealth has been eroded and the retail investors are the major one who are suffering.

[Foreign Language]

[Foreign Language]

Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Manohar. I request you that you return to the question queue for follow-up questions as there are several participants waiting for their questions.

All right. All right.

The next question is from the line of Sakshi Pratap from Pratap Securities.

So, will the steel business benefit from duties placed on Chinese steel recently? And how will the tariffs impact the supply chain?

[Foreign Language].

The next question is from the line of Rahul Shah from KS Securities.

Sir, I had 2 questions regarding steel business. So how much franchisee capacity have we added in FY '25?

Our capacity is 52.5 lakh metric tonne for FY '25, which is also given in the investor presentation. And out of that, we had 34.2 lakh metric tonne achieved in the FY '25.

Okay. Got it. And sir, one more question is regarding volume growth. So what is our volume growth target for steel business in FY '26?

We are targeting around 14% over the last year, 14%. We have made projections for 14% increase in this financial year.

Ladies and gentlemen, that was the last question for the day. I would now like to hand the conference over to the management for closing comments.

I would like to thank you, everyone, for being part of this call. We hope we have answered your questions. If you need more information, please feel free to contact us, or Mr. Deven Dhruva from SGA, our Investor Relations Adviser. Thank you.

On behalf of Kamdhenu Limited, that concludes this conference. Thank you for joining us, and you may now disconnect your lines.