

APL Apollo impresses in Q3, but the stock looks expensive
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The stock of APL Apollo Tubes Ltd rose around 4% on Friday, hitting a new 52-week high of ₹2,070.60. The Street cheered its December quarter (Q3FY26) earnings and upbeat management commentary which signaled better earnings growth visibility.
Among the highlights, volumes rose 11% year-on-year to 917,000 tonnes, which is the highest quarterly volume ever. This was despite muted demand conditions across the steel tube industry during the quarter due to construction restrictions in Delhi-National Capital Region amid high pollution and amid a slowdown in government infrastructure spending. Higher volumes show that APL Apollo continues to gain market share and that demand for its products remains healthy.
A major reason behind this volume growth was Apollo Z products, including rustproof and coated tubes. These products accounted for 56% of the incremental volume during the quarter. The management has revised its Q4FY26 volume growth guidance upwards from 10-15% to 20%.
Q4 is seasonally strong for volumes, and this guidance implies volume of 1mt, 11.3% higher sequentially, for the quarter, said Antique Stock Broking Ltd. It expects 20% volume growth in FY27, driven by expansion into new geographies and a smart dual-brand strategy. Thanks to robust volumes, consolidated Ebitda at ₹472 crore, rose 37% year-on-year.
A favourable product mix pushed Ebitda per tonne meaningfully higher from ₹4,173 in Q3FY25 to ₹5,146 in Q3FY26. Operating margin inched higher to 8% in Q3FY26 from 6%. Moreover, the management raised FY26 Ebitda per tonne guidance to around ₹5,500 from ₹4,800-5,000 earlier, led by operating leverage benefit, higher value-added sales and lower freight costs, which should lead to
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