Macquarie remains bullish on IRCTC despite 9 consecutive months of losses; here’s why
Live MintGlobal brokerage Macquarie initiated coverage on Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation with an "Outperform" rating and a target price of ₹900, indicating a potential upside of 15.5 per cent from its previous close of ₹779.55. Strong Financial Metrics The brokerage highlighted IRCTC's robust financial profile, which includes 1) An 80 per cent direct market share in railway e-ticketing; 2) Free cash flow margins of 30 per cent; 3) Returns of over 30 per cent on both invested capital and equity ; 4) Minimal capital expenditure requirements. Recent Financial Performance IRCTC reported a 4.5 per cent year-on-year increase in consolidated net profit, which stood at ₹307.9 crore for Q2FY25, compared to ₹294.7 crore in Q2FY24. Total expenses increased by 9.8 per cent YoY to ₹707.4 crore, driven by a rise in catering service costs, which surged 18.9 per cent YoY to ₹346.5 crore.