
Coromandel-NACL deal: Three key reasons Murugappa Group is betting on agrochemicals maker
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Murugappa Group-owned Coromandel International Ltd is betting on its acquisition of NACL Industries Ltd to strengthen its domestic formulations business, Latin American presence and create synergies to establish a foothold in contract drug manufacturing, according to managing director S. Sankarasubramanian.
“NACL has a good presence in insecticides, herbicides and fungicides and the domestic market. This will help us establish a strong presence in the domestic formulations business," said Sankarasubramanian. "Besides, they are manufacturers for global MNCs and have been supplying them for over two decades." Those relationships can also be leveraged for potential CDMO (contract development and manufacturing organization) opportunities later, he said in an interview with the Mint.
Last year, Coromandel Industries said that it was diversifying into CDMO and speciality chemicals businesses. Last Thursday, Coromandel announced that it will acquire a 53% stake in NACL for ₹820 crore at ₹76.7 per share. Since then, Coromandel International stock has risen by over 12%, while NACL’s share price has surged 32%.
Read more: The world’s largest warehouse firm re-enters India with a $500 million purse “The valuation of 1.2x its EV/sales is reasonable considering its cheaper peers are trading ~2x EV/sales," said a 13 March ShareKhan report on the deal. “The acquisition will enhance Coromandel’s position in the crop protection business with their large presence in domestic formulations and diversified product portfolio." NACL set up a manufacturing facility in Dahej, Gujarat two years ago. This would also help Coromandel launch new product pipelines faster as production can commence immediately.
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