ITC Q3 net rises 5.7% to Rs 2,647 cr; cigarette business under strain

Kolkata-based FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) major, ITC Ltd posted an increase of 5.7 per cent in its net profit at Rs. 2,647 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2016 while its income from operations rose by 4.5 per cent at Rs. 13,471 crore for the same period.

The company's net profit in the corresponding quarter of the last financial year stood at Rs. 2,503.76 crore while the income from operations was registered at 12,887.78 crore.

However, demonetisation seems to have impacted the company's business as except the hotels business, all other segments took a hit in their topline when compared to the Q2 period of the ongoing financial year.

Revenue from the cigarettes line of business dipped nearly three per cent at Rs 8,287.97 crore in the Q3 period of the 2016-17 financial year as compared to the earning of Rs 8,528.47 crore in the July-September period of the current financial year.

The others FMCG segment also dipped by nearly four per cent at Rs 2,569.26 crore in the quarter under review against the earning of Rs 2,671.66 crore in the previous quarter of the current financial year.

Nevertheless, on a year-on-year basis, the entire FMCG segment, which contributes over 80 per cent of the company's revenue, posted an increase of 3.4 per cent at Rs 10,857.23 crore.

During the raging period of currency rationing, which coincided with the Q3 fiscal period of the International Financial Reporting Standards, the company's agri business fell by 11 per cent at Rs 1,671.92 crore as against the revenue of Rs 1,880.06 crore in the Q2 period of the 2016-17 financial year.

Gross profit from the cigarette business also took a hit based on the quarter-on-quarter calculation. The profit before tax from the cigarette segment stood at Rs. 3,033.69 crore - a 5.7 per cent dip as compared to the segment's gross profit of Rs 3,216.88 crore in the preceding quarter. However, on a year-on-year basis, the gross profit from this category of business rose by 1.6 per cent.

Interestingly, gross profits from ITC's hotels business fared well posting a 63 per cent increase at Rs 42.15 crore in the Q3 period when compared to the similar quarter of the 2015-16 financial year and a mammoth 6,385 per cent leap when compared to the Q2 period of the 2016-17 financial year.

ITC's paperboards, paper and packaging business could post a nominal revenue increase to Rs 1,335.82 crore in the Q3 period of the ongoing financial year as compared to the Rs 1,337.67 crore segment topline in the year ago period. Similarly, the profits from this business rose marginally by two per cent at Rs 246.03 crore.