Indian utilities back in focus as power demand soars, says Motilal Oswal; JSW Energy top pick
Motilal Oswal said in its latest sector update, naming JSW Energy as its top pick to ride the upcycle.
The brokerage reiterated its ‘buy’ rating on JSW Energy with a target price of Rs 705, implying a potential 25.4% upside from the stock's current level. Motilal Oswal also maintained a ‘buy’ rating on ACME Solar with a target of Rs 330, signaling a 73.4% upside from its current price.
JSW Energy is well-positioned to benefit from India’s power demand surge, Motilal Oswal said, with 15% of its operational capacity exposed to the merchant market and 1.3 GW of merchant capacity following the commissioning of the 350 MW Ind-Barath Unit 2. The company typically generates over 60% of annual profits in the first half of the year, aligning with peak demand.
India’s peak power demand rose 7% year-on-year to 238 gigawatts (GW) in February, with the Central Electricity Authority projecting demand to climb further to 270 GW this summer — an 8% increase from last year’s record. The Indian Meteorological Department forecasts a hotter-than-usual March, with merchant power prices already up 16% year-on-year in the Day-Ahead Market.
Shares of JSW Energy gained 1.3% to Rs 562.4 on the BSE on Wednesday, extending a 19.7% rally in the past month. However, the stock remains down 28.6% over the last six months, though it has risen 8.5% over the past year.
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Tata Power and ACME Solar are also well-placed, the brokerage added, having secured PPAs for 82% and 53% of their project pipelines, respectively. JSW Energy has 65%
