As NephroPlus expands abroad, scale turns into its toughest test yet
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. MUMBAI : Nephrocare Health Services, better known as NephroPlus, is pitching itself as a global dialysis disruptor on the back of what chairman and managing director Vikram Vuppala touts as a low-cost, high-efficiency operating model. Built at India’s price point and refined through scale, the company now plans to replicate this template in higher-priced international markets.
But as it doubles down on its ambition, the scale that powered its domestic rise could turn into a liability overseas, if execution risk, staffing fragility, and competitive intensity spike, experts warned. Nonetheless, the company is set to tap the public markets on Wednesday to fund its next leg of expansion. The ₹871-crore initial public offering (IPO) comprises a ₹353.4-crore fresh issue and an offer for sale of ₹517.6 crore.
Vuppala, who holds about 11% stake, will not sell any shares. At the upper price band of ₹460 apiece, the company is seeking a valuation of ₹4,615 crore. At a post-issue price-to-equity (P/E) ratio of 69x, the offer prices NephroPlus at a modest discount to the sector’s average of 75x, according to the company’s red herring prospectus (RHP).
This suggests that while the market is pricing in its scale advantage and growth opportunities, it is also adjusting for the structurally thinner margins of a pure-play dialysis model, said analysts. Going ahead, NephroPlus’s capital-intensive model and high operating costs could constrain profitability, noted Kunvarji Wealth Solutions. Adding to the concerns is its premium valuation, as Swastika Securities highlighted: based on the latest financials, the issue appears aggressively valued and is best suited for long-term investors with a higher risk
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