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India's Jindal Stainless' Q4 revenue falls as softer steel rates offset demand

India's Jindal Stainless reported a 34.6% fall in fourthquarter profit on Wednesday, as lower steel costs and weak worldwide demand offset a rise in the domestic market.

The nation's biggest stainless steel maker by volumes posted a combined net profit of 5.01 billion rupees ($ 60. million) for the quarter ended March 31, below 7.66 billion. rupees a year earlier.

Regardless of robust demand for steel from the building and construction and. vehicle sectors of among the world's fastest-growing. economies, makers have actually been coming to grips with the effect of. decreasing steel costs.

Jindal, which supplies the transportation and. building sectors, stated its revenue from operations fell 3.2%. to 94.54 billion rupees for the quarter.

While sales volumes for the quarter grew 12% year-on-year,. backed by strong domestic need, essential export markets, such as. Europe and the U.S., remained weak, the business said in a. declaration.

A dip in iron ore costs, the main component for making. stainless-steel, added to an 18.4% relieving off of the. company's input expense. However, an unfavorable stock assessment. due to falling nickel rates and higher freight costs kept the. business's overall expenses nearly flat compared to a year previously.

The Red Sea crisis during the quarter ... caused a steep. increase in ocean freight and constrained accessibility of. containers, subsequently compressing margins, the business said.

The crisis also caused the loss of some customers for the. business due to delays in shipping, managing director Abhyuday. Jindal said in a post-results press conference.

The New Delhi, India-headquartered business stated it had seen. a revival in some product categories in Europe, but the U.S. market was yet to show recovery. The company is also seeking to. expand its footprint in South America and the Middle East.

The stainless-steel manufacturer was also in talks with the. Indian government over dumping of Chinese stainless-steel into. the country, Jindal said.

The board of Jindal Stainless suggested a dividend of 2. rupees per share for the 2023/24 fiscal year.

Shares of the stainless steel maker closed 4% lower ahead of. the results.

(source: Reuters)