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Business Model
• MSL deals in two kinds of pipes, namely, Seamless pipes and ERW pipes
• In Seamless pipes, where its market share is 50 per cent, its competitors
are ISMT and Jindal SAW
• In ERW pipes, its competitors are Surya Roshni and Welspun Gujarat
• The company has got captive wind power plants. And the power produced
is used for internal consumption.
• It had bought a steel plant in Romania for backward integration to
manufacture steel. The steel plant was dismantled in Romania and shifted
to Maharashtra. At present, the erection of the integrated steel plant is
going on. And the plant is expected to be completed by December 2010.
• The plant when completed is expected to reduce the burden of high raw
material costs for MSL
• The main raw materials for the company are steel round billets and HR
coils which accounts for 50 to 60 per cent of the operating costs. The
company at present sources them from domestic steel produces and
around 40 per cent of the requirement is imported.
• The company is expecting new orders from Power Projects and Boiler
sector. With new power projects coming up in the country, like UMPPs,
MSL is expected to benefit from this segment. This is in addition to
Exploration and Production segment of the Oil & Gas industry.
• Freight cost amounts to 5 to 7 per cent of operating costs. Any decline in
freight rates (reflected in Baltic Dry Index) is a positive for the company.
• Any rise in international crude oil prices will have a salutary impact on E &
P activity of the world’s Oil majors and their requirement for seamless and
ERW pipes will go up; which in turn will give a boost to MSL’s revenues
• Steel prices have fallen since last year and this is a big profit margin-
booster for the company. As a result of the decline in steel prices, the
company’s OPM has risen by 11.5 percentage points to 27.20 per cent in
September 2009 quarters (over Sep.08 qtr).
• It’s practically a debt-free company and known for its high transparency
• It’s a cash-rich company with a cash and cash equivalents of Rs 622 crore
as on 30.9.09, working out to Rs 88 cash per share
NEGATIVES
• Sep.09 quarterly net sales declined by 32 per cent (y-o-y) to Rs 410 crore
• However, Net profit jumped by 11 per cent to Rs 71 crore due to huge
expansion in margins
• Steel prices have fallen since last year and this is a big profit margin-
booster for the company. As a result of the decline in steel prices, the
company’s OPM has risen by 11.5 percentage points to 27.20 per cent in
September 2009 quarters (over Sep.08 qtr).
VALUATION
• At CMP of Rs 312 (close prices of 9.11.09), the PE ratio is 8.3 and the
price-book value is 1.70. These ratios are lower compared to its
competitors Jindal SAW and Welspun Gujarat which command a PE ratio
of 9.1 and 13.8; and price-book value of 1.74 and 3.25 respectively
• Jindal SAW and Welspun Gujarat command higher valuation
comparatively as their order book is extremely robust; due to which
investors are giving higher discounting to these companies
• MSL’s operating profit margin (OPM) for the quarter ended September
2009 is 27.20 per cent (a jump of 11.5 percentage points compared to
14.7 per cent in September 2008 quarter) due to decline in metal prices
• The company, in general, does not compromise on margins and as a
result it’s order book is not very visible as compared to competitors which
compromise on profit margins
• Compared to MSL’s OPM of around 27 per cent, the OPMs of Jindal SAW
and Welspun Gujarat are much lower at 19 and 16 per cent respectively
• MSL’s ROCE and RONW are at 30.6% and 21.5% respectively for 2008-
09 and these are one of the highest in the pipes industry in India
• Jindal SAW and Welspun Gujarat have much lower capital efficiency with
their ROCE at 18.6 and 17.2 per cent; and RONW of 16.2 and 14.8 per
cent respectively for 2008-09
• MSL’s cash and bank balance is at Rs 622 crore amounting to Rs 88 per
share (September 30, 2009)
Some Definitions
For more information on the company, please visit the company’s website at:
http://www.jindal.com/msl-invest.htm
The company gives a comprehensive analysis of its business on its website for the benefit of
investors and other stakeholders.
http://www.scribd.com/vrk100
AUTHOR’s DISCLAIMER: This should not be construed as a recommendation by the author. The
author holds a small stake in the company’s equity shares and as such it’s safe to assume that the
author has a vested interest in the stock price and general market going up. The views of the author
are personal. Readers or investors must consult their certified financial advisor before taking any
decision on their equity investments and the investment should be in line with their risk profile &
risk appetite and their general market perception. Any equity investment should be within their
overall ASSET ALLOCATION, which is extremely vital.