Tata Steel, JSW Steel Q3 hurt by price erosion. Rebound on the horizon?
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Indian steel majors Tata Steel Ltd and JSW Steel Ltd experienced strong domestic demand in the December quarter (Q3FY25), which helped offset a 12-13% drop in realization for both companies. Tata Steel’s standalone Ebitda declined 8% year-on-year, but was 24% higher than analysts’ estimates, supported by lower other expenses and 8% growth in volumes.
Ebitda is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization; it is a key measure of profitability for companies. Ebitda per tonne was still down 16% to ₹14,200 due to lower realization and firm raw material prices. The company’s European operations, accounting for 38% of consolidated revenue in the first nine months of FY25, recorded lower losses of ₹740 crore in Q3 vis-à-vis ₹2,900 crore last year.
Fixed cost for the UK operations declined by about €80 per tonne (about ₹8,600) after manpower was reduced following the closure of the blast furnace. Losses for Netherlands business also decreased, aided by lower energy costs. Also Read: Bruised by rising imports, steelmakers pin New Year hopes on safeguard duty JSW Steel recorded a similar performance, beating analysts’ estimates despite a 22% decline in its consolidated Ebitda, supported by 12% growth in volumes.
The decline in Ebitda per tonne was sharper at 30% to ₹8,300. The management has projected coking coal prices to come down by ₹800-1,200 per tonne in Q4 along with marginally lower iron ore prices, which should help improve its profitability. Tata Steel has largely completed its expansion with 5 mtpa (million tonnes per annum) Kalinganagar facility commissioned in September and limited capex planned for FY26.
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