Feb 21 2024, 09:16
PSUs like REC, Power Finance are up over 250% in a year,the sector rally will continue?
In the past one year, PSU stocks have jumped 100%. And over the last decade, they have gone through a complete cycle of valuation. So, will PSU stocks do well from here onwards? The price-to-book value of PSE Index is back to 2014 levels where chances are that ROEs, which are currently at their peak, may fall.
Mutual funds are usually good at timing their new fund offers (NFOs). But when Quant Mutual Fund launched its PSU NFO on February 2, 2024, little did the fund managers know that the index was headed for a big fall.
The Nifty PSE Index fell close to 4% on February 12. Between February 9 and February 13, the top three stocks (NTPC, Power Grid Corp, and ONGC) which account for 35% of the index, were down by around 6%. While on Monday these stocks went back to their February 9 prices, many investors are now uncomfortable.
This is also true for PSU banks that also met with a similar fate on February 12. The stocks that accounted for the steepest fall were Central Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra, Indian Overseas Bank, and Punjab and Sind Bank. They have recouped some of the losses.
PSU stocks like REC and Power Finance Corporation have gone up more than 250% in a year.
Shankar Sharma, vice- chairman and joint managing director, First Global, believes he has the answer to why PSU stocks rallied. "The PSE share in the total national capex has been declining while the GOI (government of India) share has been going up. However, the combined percentage share of the two remains firmly only in the long-term range of 3.8%-4% of GDP. Show how is this good for PSU stocks?" he tweeted on February 14.
His theory is that the GOI has taken away PSU cash through dividends and has used that and other resources to do capex through the national exchequer. Since PSUs have not done any capex, their free cash flows are intact, which led to a strong stock performance.
source: et
Feb 21 2024, 09:16