Did Nifty-500 Earnings Surge 15% in Q2 Driven by Oil and Gas Stocks?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Nifty-500 earnings grew by 15% in Q2 FY26.
- Oil and gas stocks were major contributors to this growth.
- Excluding metals, earnings growth was only 9%.
- Midcap and smallcap stocks outperformed large caps.
- Cement sector saw a remarkable 211% increase in earnings.
Mumbai, Nov 20 (NationPress) The cumulative earnings of firms within the Nifty-500 category experienced a remarkable growth of 15 percent in Q2 FY26, marking the highest increase in five quarters, according to a report released on Thursday. Despite facing geopolitical challenges and sluggish consumption patterns, this growth was significantly propelled by the oil and gas sector, particularly by OMCs, which saw their EBITDA and PAT rise by 48 percent and 59 percent, respectively, as per Motilal Oswal Financial Services (MOFSL).
When excluding metals and oil and gas stocks, the overall earnings of the Nifty 500 universe only increased by 9 percent year-on-year. In contrast, when financial stocks are excluded, the Nifty 500 universe recorded a much stronger earnings growth of 20 percent YoY.
Overall sales, EBITDA, and adjusted PAT climbed to approximately Rs 35 trillion, Rs 8 trillion, and Rs 4 trillion respectively, reflecting increases of 8 percent, 12 percent, and 15 percent compared to the previous year.
The earnings growth was diverse across sectors, with non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) reporting a 21 percent increase; metals up by 18 percent; cement soaring by 211 percent; capital goods rising by 30 percent; telecom transitioning from a loss to profitability; retail advancing by 32 percent; and real estate climbing 22 percent.
Cement companies reported their second consecutive strong quarter following previous weak performances, with sales and EBITDA rising by 18 percent and 49 percent YoY, respectively, and reported earnings up by a striking 3.1 times compared to last year.
The chemicals and consumer durables sectors also showed robust growth from a low baseline, while the automobile sector declined by 16 percent, private banks fell by 3 percent, and media dropped by 10 percent.
Ferrous companies thrived due to increased volumes and lower costs; non-ferrous gains were bolstered by favorable metal prices and stable volumes.
Both midcap and smallcap stocks outperformed, with Midcap-150 earnings climbing by 27 percent and Smallcap-250 by 37 percent. The relative underperformance of large-cap stocks was attributed to weaknesses in private banks and the automobile sector, according to the report.