Berger Paints investors paint the town red amid turnaround hopes for sector
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Berger Paints India Ltd’s shares soared over 6% on Wednesday as volume growth bounced back to double-digits at 11.8% for the three months ended March (Q4FY26) after a gap of six quarters. The decorative paints segment saw traction in premium emulsion paints and new launches of Kolor Plus and Kolor Plus Glow. Volume growth was driven by both secondary sales and pre-buying by dealers ahead of price hikes, the management said.Starting March, Berger has taken staggered price hikes of 11-12% to protect margins in the backdrop of rising cost inflation due to the West Asia war.
Nearly 50-60% of Berger’s overall cost of goods sold basket has seen inflation of 20-22%. If costs don’t rise further, these price hikes can largely offset the adverse impact on margins.But this is easier said than done. Berger expects volume growth to be stable-to-marginally lower.
It believes that paints form 40% of total repainting costs, while labour forms 60%. So, a price hike of about 12% in paints would mean inflation to customers is only 4-5%, limiting demand elasticity.But if El Nino plays out, demand in rural areas could come under pressure in H2FY27. Also, macro pressures building in the economy may weigh on demand for urban painting, which is a discretionary spend.
So, price-demand elasticity will be tested.Consolidated revenue grew 6% year-on-year to ₹2,868 crore in Q4FY26. Ebitda margin at 16.8% was ahead of consensus estimate of 15.8%, aided by operating leverage and sustained cost optimization.Improving the profitability outlook led brokerages to upgrade their FY27/FY28 earnings-per-share estimates. Quicker pricing actions versus previous inflation cycles, along with formulation and sourcing
. Read on livemint.com