Essar Group's IT division Black Box reports 18% net profit growth to 56 crore rupees

Grasim Industries Ltd presented its report on Wednesday showing a consolidated net profit growth of 38.8 percent, reaching ₹3,846.28 crore for the June quarter of fiscal year 27. This growth is attributed to stronger operational performance across all business segments.

According to regulatory filings, Grasim Industries, which is the holding company for Aditya Birla Group entities such as UltraTech, Aditya Birla Capital, and Aditya Birla Renewables, previously reported a net profit of ₹2,770.63 crore for the April-June period of fiscal year 26.

Revenue from Grasim Industries operations increased by 21.43 percent, amounting to ₹48,716.20 crore in the June quarter of fiscal year 27. In its earnings report, the company noted that the revenue growth was driven by strong performance across its diversified business portfolio. The EBITDA metric reached an all-time high of ₹8,077 crore, which is 26 percent higher compared to the same period last year, thanks to revenue growth and improved cost efficiency in various segments.

Total expenses rose by 19.62 percent in the June quarter, totaling ₹43,851.12 crore. Specifically, the Cellulosic Fibre division's revenue grew by 12 percent, reaching ₹4,530.25 crore, an improvement attributed to global prices, rupee depreciation, and favorable product mix. This segment's EBITDA nearly doubled compared to last year, reaching ₹632 crore, supported by a low base in Q1 of fiscal year 26 and a larger contribution from Specialty Fibres.

The Chemicals segment generated revenue of ₹2,639.92 crore, demonstrating a 10.43 percent increase in the June quarter of fiscal year 27. The Building Materials business, which includes UltraTech Cement, Birla Opus painting business, and Birla Pivot B2B e-commerce, showed a growth of 21.5 percent, reaching ₹28,835.40 crore. This growth was fueled by increased profitability in the Cement segment and the continued decline in the impact of the investment phase in the painting and B2B e-commerce businesses.

UltraTech's total sales volume reached 41.3 million tonnes, a 12.2 percent increase compared to the previous year. The volume of ready-mix concrete increased by 18 percent year-on-year. The decorative painting business, Birla Opus, strengthened its position as the third-largest player in India's organized decorative paint market, increasing its revenue market share by 30 basis points in Q1 of fiscal year 27. In response to sharp increases in industry input costs, the company implemented calibrated price adjustments. The overall impact of the price hike in Q1 of fiscal year 27 was 8.8 percent. Birla Opus is also enhancing paint retail through a network of over 1,450 exclusive branded franchise retail outlets, strengthening consumer engagement and improving the entire purchase cycle.

Regarding Birla Pivot, the B2B e-commerce platform for building materials, quarterly revenue slowed amid increased market volatility and the inventory optimization strategy adopted by price-sensitive customers. Nevertheless, the projected annual revenue growth rate for Q1 of fiscal year 27 continues to exceed ₹10,000 crore, supported by transaction volume growth, consistent customer acquisition, and stable repeat orders.

Similarly, the financial services segment represented by Aditya Birla Capital Ltd (ABCL) saw revenue grow by 28.1 percent, reaching ₹12,154.67 crore. Aditya Birla Capital demonstrated another quarter of strong, large-scale results, maintaining the growth momentum of its diversified franchise financial services offering across lending, insurance, and asset management. The total credit portfolio (NBFC + HFC) reached ₹219,289 crore, a 32 percent increase year-over-year, while client assets in the asset management and insurance segments amounted to ₹752,745 crore, reflecting the strength of the integrated franchise financial service.

Revenue from other business verticals, including Textiles, Renewables, and Insulators, increased by 30.16 percent, totaling ₹1,126.15 crore. Concerning capital expenditure, Grasim stated that planned capital expenditure for fiscal year 27 is ₹3,157 crore, with total capital expenditure incurred by the company in Q1 of fiscal year 27 amounting to ₹375 crore.

Looking ahead, Grasim noted that the government's 'Viksit Bharat' initiative acts as a catalyst, stimulating demand in key sectors and creating a favorable environment for growth. On Wednesday, Grasim Ltd shares closed at ₹3,304 per share on the BSE, declining by 0.18 percent from the previous close.

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) announced a 23% increase in net profit for the first quarter of the current fiscal year, reaching 13,492 crore rupees. This growth is attributed to an increase in premium income and an improvement in the company's solvency ratio.

The country's largest insurer earned 10,987 crore rupees in the same quarter last year. According to the report submitted to regulatory authorities, the company's total income for the reporting quarter increased to 237,848 crore rupees compared to 222,864 crore rupees in the same period of the previous fiscal year.

First-year premium income also showed growth, amounting to 9,217 crore rupees in the latest June quarter, whereas this figure was 7,525 crore rupees a year earlier. Furthermore, income from renewed premiums rose to 61,833 crore rupees in the reporting period compared to 59,885 crore rupees a year ago.

Regarding single-premium payments, the Corporation collected 56,369 crore rupees, exceeding the figure of 51,923 crore rupees in the first quarter of the previous fiscal year. Thus, total income from net premiums reached 127,250 crore rupees in the quarter under review, an increase from 119,200 crore rupees in the corresponding quarter of fiscal year '26.

Total expenses rose to 225,573 crore rupees compared to 211,928 crore rupees in the June quarter of last year. Simultaneously, the solvency ratio improved to 2.42 times from 2.17 times recorded in the first quarter of the previous fiscal year.

Jindal Stainless Ltd announced a year-on-year increase in consolidated net profit by 7.6%, reaching INR 769 crore in the June quarter, driven by increased revenue. In the same quarter last year, the company recorded a net profit of INR 715 crore, according to the report filed with the stock exchange.

The company's operating revenue grew by 10.5% year-over-year (YoY), amounting to INR 11,279 crore in the first quarter of fiscal year 2027, compared to INR 10,207 crore for the April-June period of the previous fiscal year. As of the end of June, the company's consolidated net debt reached INR 2,950 crore.

Abhidhuday Jindal, Managing Director of Jindal Stainless, noted that the company's results remained resilient despite an extremely dynamic operating environment characterized by supply chain disruptions and changing global trade conditions.

The company reported that in the initial weeks of the quarter, there were disruptions in the supply of industrial gases due to a crisis in West Asia. The company's management proactively mitigated this impact by increasing the use of liquefied natural gas to compensate for the limited availability of propane and LNG.

Despite the measures taken to address the issues, the company had to temporarily reduce production across all manufacturing units. Nevertheless, the company reported sales of finished products amounting to 580,805 metric tons in the first quarter of fiscal year 2027 and maintained healthy financial growth through sustained activity in the value-added product segment.

Export business remained stable amid the complex global situation. A diversified portfolio of markets, which includes expanding opportunities in South Korea, Japan, and Brazil, as well as a constant presence in Europe and the US, helped keep exports at 11% of total sales.

During the media call, Jindal emphasized the need to control growing imports from certain countries, particularly China. He stated that such import flows create challenges for domestic investment amidst rising demand for stainless steel in India, and called on the government not to extend Quality Control Orders (QCOs).

The statement noted that the company's strong performance was driven by steady demand in key end-use sectors, including transportation, infrastructure, manufacturing, and consumer sectors. The automotive segment continued to be a strong growth driver, and volumes of special grades also increased in the first quarter of fiscal year 2027. Furthermore, healthy sales growth was observed in the consumer goods and metro projects segments during the quarter, while demand from the railway sector remained constant. The company also received orders for specialized grades of stainless steel for the energy and oil and gas sectors.