BSE Code: 532887
Scrip ID: SUJANATWR
CMP: Rs.17.85
Face Value: Rs.5
Book Value: Rs.52.91
P/E: 1.44
Market Cap: Rs.73.96 Cr
52-week high/low: Rs.235/Rs.16.65

Over the last 7 (seven) years, it has built an infrastructure that fulfils the requirements of the telecom and power industries with the highest grades of galvanized value-added products. The company has also made a distinct entry on the export front. Sujana Towers Limited is an ISO 9001:2000 certified company, among few of its kind in the country and also obtained approvals for supply from PGCIL, various State Electricity Boards and BSNL.
Its main products include power transmission line towers (from 11 KV to 400 KV), and telecom towers (self support lattice towers upto 100 meters height, triangular/square cross-section, hybrid towers, angular/tubular towers, lattice Guyed masts and monopoles). It is only integrated tower manufacturer, in south India having an in house re-rolling facility for structural steel fabrication of tower and tower parts. Thus it has capacity to deliver ready to erect structures in customer—specified sizes in shortest time spans.
Lately to cash on engineering skills and sound technical knowledge, STL has forayed into providing services, like Engineering and consultation, Turnkey Installation, and Inspection and Maintenance. Through JV with EPC companies like Deepak Cables, Annapurna Construction, the company is already executing turnkey EPC projects in power segments and aims to emerge as turnkey contractor in the next couple of years.
Peer Group Companies:
• Areva T&D Ltd,
• Alstom Projects Ltd,
• KEC International Ltd,
• Kalpataru Power Transmission Ltd
• Jyoti Structures Ltd
Shareholding Pattern: The promoters hold 35.4% while the general public holds 64.6%. The following is the General Shareholding Pattern, which shows that who’s who of the mutual fund industry holding positions in the company.
Financials: For Q1FY09, the company came out with good set of numbers. The total income of the company for Q1FY09 came out to be Rs.164.63 Cr as against Rs.144.66 Cr in the same period previous year. The operating profit in Q1FY08 came out to be Rs.33.32 Cr as against Rs.19.74 Cr in the same period previous year. The profit before tax in Q1FY09 came out to be a whooping Rs.22.97 Cr as against Rs.15.74 Cr in the same period previous year. Net Profit of the company in Q1FY09 suffered due to a huge tax component of Rs.7.8 Cr, as against Rs.1.8 Cr in the same period previous year.
However, even then the Net Profit of the company, for Q1FY09 came out to be Rs.15.14 Cr as against Rs.13.90 Cr in the same period previous year. Now, while the operating profit margins jumped up during Q1FY09 as compared to the same quarter previous year, the net profit margin remained flat during this period.
Triggers:
• Expansion plans: Sujana Towers has embarked on an expansion which would take it capacity from 128,000 tpa now to 228,000 tpa this financial year. It has set up two large scale units at Hyderabad to emerge as India’s largest galvanized steel tower manufacturing company. It has expanded its towers capacity at Hyderabad from 28,125 TPA of galvanized towers to 128,125 TPA. In the light of fast growing demand for supply of power transmission and telecom towers and associated services within the country as well as in the neighboring countries, it is thinking of going for further expansion of capacities.
• Growth plans: In FY09 it is expected to have a net operating cash-flow of about Rs.62 Cr and by FY10, Rs.90 Cr. With such cash generation, it seeks to expand capacity and explore further growth opportunities.
• Bidding power: The enhanced scale of operations would enable it to bid for larger contracts. This would enhance its ability to more effectively take on the unregulated sector.
• Unlocking value: The business lines of Sujana Metal Products and Sujana Towers are distinct from each other in terms of profitability as well as future prospects and so we have to value them separately. The business lines of Sujana Metal Products and Sujana Towers are distinct from each other in terms of profitability as well as future prospects and so we have to value them separately. The two businesses combined into one entity, the company gets a lower valuation than what it could command if the were valued as separate entities. The hiving off of Sujana Towers has been completed, the effective date being May 4, 2007 and the appointed date being July 1, 2006. The hive-off would unlock value in the high-growth tower fabrication far more than could be obtained in low-growth metals and increase the valuation of the company as a whole.
• Economies of scale: Such economies would raise the EBITDA margin to 16%. The Company would also benefit from the assured supply of structural and billets from its parent company.
• Buoyant power and telecom sectors: Telecom-tower demand is rising as service providers enter new areas. India faces a shortage of 8% in Power. With the economy growing at over 7%, increase in power generation is an imperative. Besides, there are some power surplus states and regions and so power needs to be transmitted to deficit regions. The Power Grid Corporation plans to invest about Rs.360 bn in setting up a transmission network across the country.
• Telecom towers - demand doubling by 2010: India has about 160,000 towers, with a tele-
density of 18 per 100. According to industry estimates, tele-density is expected to rise to 30
per 100 by 2012. In fact, this is expected to drive demand for towers. As per industry estimates, India would need about 350,000 towers by 2010. This means demand would more than double.
• Towers business - demand far exceeds supply: The annual installed capacity of tower
manufacturing in India is about 90,000 tons. Conservatively speaking, we can see demand of over 8m tons in the next five years, compared to cumulative capacity of 4.5m tons.
• Benefit from the fall in metal prices: It is basically engaged in manufacturing of galvanized
steel towers used in the power transmission and telecom tower sectors. Hence it is definitely going to benefit from the recent fall in steel, zinc and other commodities as they form the major part of the input cost.
• To go for M & A: It also intends to set up / acquire subsidiaries in the Middle East/ South
East Asia in the area of power transmission and telecom infrastructure services. Recently, it acquired 51% shareholding in Telesuprecon Ltd Mauritius), undertaking Telecom infrastructure contracts in various cast / central African countries.
• Limited downside: The scrip came down from a high of Rs.235, scrip to Rs.17.85 and is trading at a considerable discount to its book value of Rs.52.91. Hence it has limited downslide.
• Moving into new areas: To cater to the rapidly increasing demand, the company is in the midst of setting up a Greenfield plant in Chennai, with installed galvanized tower manufacturing capacity of 100, 000 MPA. This plant will also have facilities to manufacture high mast light poles, railway electrification structures, etc. and will cater to the export requirements. The project has been fully funded and is expected to start operation by the end of Q3FY09, taking the company’s total capacity to 228, 000 MTPA.
• Contemplating to acquire a company in China: In future, STL is looking to set up a plant in
Gujarat to manufacture galvanized steel parts with capacity of 75, 000 MPTA. Company is also contemplating to acquire a company in China for manufacture of tower parts and set up a subsidiary in Hong Kong for sourcing cheaper raw materials.
• Preference Offer at high price: In October, 2008, the company made a preferential allotment of 80 lacks warrants to be converted @135 per share to fund its Chennai expansion plans.
• Healthy Order Book Position: The company has healthy order book position at present and is looking to aggressively to raise nearly Rs.300 Cr through equity route, to fund future plan.
• Positive on Charts: If we see the chartical patterns of the scrip, then we that the scrip is looking attractive near its immediate resistance and is near its 52-week low price of Rs.16.65, made some days back. The stochastic, MACD and Bollinger Bands indicate are in buy mode and the price of the scrip is expected to move up its immediate resistance of Rs.18, within the next few days, ofcourse depeding on the market conditions or provided the market condition improves a bit. Candle Stick Chart pattern indicates an immediate change in trend of the scrip of course with the overall improvement in the Stock Market conditions.
Concerns:
• Slowdown in capital expenditure in Power and Telecoms: A slowdown in the capital expenditure cycle in either of the sectors may have a negative bearing on the company's performance. But this seems unlikely given the real demand and shortage of power in India.
• Delay in capacity expansions:If there is delay in implementing the capex then projections for top line and bottomline can substantially fall short of expectations.
• Raw material prices: Main raw materials like steel structural and zinc make up 90% of the cost,whose prices have fallen drastically at present. But in future an sharp rise in the cost of these materials could have some impact on the margins of the business.
Conclusion: Valuation Multiples of Power transmission Towers EPC companies Traditionally, EPC cos. in this sector trade at forward multiples of about 12-15x FY08E earnings due to the great visibility in growth. On EV/EBIDTA, these companies trade at 7-9Xforward EBIDTA estimates.
STL has edge compared to numerous small manufacturers due to its huge capacity and economies of scale as well as due to its integrated operation. Given this and taking very conservative approach for discounting future earnings it is felt that STL should be valued at 6x future EBIDTA because it can only manufacture as per the specifications given by the customers but cannot design unlike EPC Companies like Kalpataru, KEC International and Jyoti structures. Hence one can buy the scrip at the CMP of Rs.17.85, for a possible price target of Rs.75— Rs.80, in 2 years time frame. Keep a SL of Rs.17.5 for any short term trade. The scrip has resistances at Rs.25, Rs.27.5, Rs.38, Rs.51 and Rs.67 and Rs.71, where partial profit booking should be done.