Astec Lifesciences Ltd
ASTECAstec Lifesciences Ltd is strength at full price. The numbers are improving — and a P/E at the 94th percentile of its own range says the market knows.
The sharpest disagreement: profits are rising, but only 50% of the last 3 years' profit arrived as operating cash — the gap between the P&L and the bank account is the thing to watch.
The price is in a confirmed uptrend (5 weeks in) while the P/E sits at the 94th percentile of its own 7-year range. Underneath, the last four quarters read improving, and 50% of the last 3 years' profit arrived as cash. What settles it: whether the cash starts following the profit.
Price story Before the numbers, the tape. A stock price moves through four repeating seasons: a flat base (stage 1), an advance (2), a top (3), a decline (4). Where the price sits in that cycle frames everything below.
Astec Lifesciences Ltd trades at ₹691, in a confirmed uptrend and 5 weeks into that stage. That is −3.9% against its own 200-day average. It sits at 38% of a 52-week range of ₹563 to ₹903. On relative strength it is currently behind the NIFTY 500 on a trailing-13-week view (3 weeks and counting).
Today the stock is in a confirmed uptrend — week 5 of stage 2, confirmed. At ₹691 it trades −3.9% versus its 200-day average and sits at 38% of its 52-week range (₹563–₹903).
Against the market, two honest reads. Cumulative: over the last 10.3 years the stock moved +251% while the NIFTY 500 moved +274% — behind the index over the full window. Recent form: on a trailing-13-week view the stock is currently behind (3 weeks and counting; last ahead the week of 2026-07-01) — the ribbon below is that same metric, week by week.
What would end the trend, mechanically: two Friday closes in a row below the 200-day line. That is the exit rule — no debates.
→ The trend is one thing; the bill is another. Are you paying up for it? Next: the P/E sits at the 94th percentile of its own range.
Valuation P/E is the price of ₹1 of annual profit: how many rupees the market pays for each rupee the company earns in a year.
Astec Lifesciences Ltd trades at 110.6× P/E, at the pricey end of its own range (94th percentile). Its long-run median P/E is 46.4×, measured across 7.4 years of weekly readings. This places the multiple against the stock’s own record, and says nothing about what the business is worth.
Today's P/E of 110.6× is at the pricey end of its own range (94th percentile), against a long-run median of 46.4× measured over 7.4 years of weekly readings. This is a comparison against the stock's own history — not a claim about what it is worth.
The price move, decomposed: over 5y, of the −13.5%/yr price move, ~−4.3%/yr came from earnings growth and ~−9.2 pp from the multiple (compressing). The split is the honest approximate (price return minus earnings growth); it makes the rally itself visible instead of hiding it behind the percentile.
Put together: the multiple is full against its own past, so the story rests on the earnings line underneath it, not the multiple.
A quarterly PEG curve, which only the second data source carries, is not drawn on this page: its two data sources do not share enough overlapping reported history to be compared. A figure nobody could check is not used to price growth — the gap is a decision, not missing data.
→ Cheap or dear rides on the earnings. Are they actually growing? Next: the fundamental stage — where the business sits in its arc, and how growth has compounded.
Stage: No read Every business sits somewhere on a fundamental arc, and this page names the spot before anything else. The last twelve quarters of revenue, profit and EPS growth — plus the return the business earns on its capital — are read as curves: Deteriorating (the curves are falling), Turning around (a trough has just formed and the last few quarters lift off it), Improving (the climb off the trough is sustained), Consistent (steadily positive with healthy returns), Topping out (still high but decelerating from the peak). When the curves genuinely disagree the read is Mixed; too little history is No read. CAGR (compound annual growth rate) is the smooth yearly pace that turns the starting value into the latest one — the fairest way to compare growth across different time spans. Read the columns together: if the 1-year number towers over the 10-year, recent growth is running hotter than the long-run trend. A dash means that window is not held, or the base year was a loss (where a growth rate is not meaningful).
Astec Lifesciences Ltd reads as no read on its fundamental arc. Under eight usable quarters on the growth trio — not enough history for an honest trajectory read. The read is built from 10 quarters across 2 curves, on partial evidence.
Why it matters: with too little history, an honest page says so instead of guessing a trajectory.
One or more growth curves carry a base-effect spike — a large year-on-year move off a near-zero or loss-making comparable quarter. Those spikes are capped before the classifier reads the trajectory, and shown pinned on the chart, so a single distorted quarter does not drive the stage call.
Return readings here are annual, not quarterly — read as level and direction only; they can confirm the growth curves but never drive the stage on their own.
Fewer than eight usable quarters on the growth curves — this page will not guess a trajectory from a stub of history.
| 1yr | 3yr | 5yr | 10yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | +17.6% | −10.6% | −4.2% | +6.8% |
| Share price | −23.4% | −18.6% | −13.5% | +7.0% |
→ The stage names the trajectory. Next: the revenue line that produces it, quarter by quarter.
4-Factor Sector Score
43.9/100 — rank 19 of 24 in Pesticides/Agrochemicals · 59% evidence confidence
Astec Lifesciences Ltd scores 43.9 out of 100 against the 24 companies it is compared with in Pesticides/Agrochemicals, ranking 19. Fill the missing evidence before acting; the ranking is deliberately pulled toward neutral.
The four contributions add to the total exactly: 21.8 + 3 + 10 + 9.1 = 43.9. This is the SAME number shown on the sector comparison — it is computed once, for the whole peer set, and read here.
What would change it: The read weakens if profit growth turns negative or margin improvement reverses while sector-relative strength deteriorates.
Revenue Revenue is the top line: everything the company billed its customers in the period.
Astec Lifesciences Ltd reported ₹159 Cr of revenue in the Mar 26 quarter, +32.7% year on year. That is the 2nd straight quarter of year-on-year growth. Over 10 years it has compounded at 6.8% a year. The last full year, FY26, came in at ₹448 Cr. The last four reported quarters add to ₹448 Cr.
Astec Lifesciences Ltd reported ₹159 Cr of revenue in the Mar 26 quarter, +32.7% year on year. That is the 2nd straight quarter of year-on-year growth. Over 10 years it has compounded at 6.8% a year. The last full year, FY26, came in at ₹448 Cr. The last four reported quarters add to ₹448 Cr.
FY26 revenue came in at ₹448 Cr (+17.6% on the year), capping 10 years at 6.8% compound. The latest quarter (Mar 26) printed ₹159 Cr, +32.7% year on year — the 2nd consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth.
Pace check: the last four quarters averaged +17.9% growth against the decade's 6.8% — the current year is running faster than its own long-run rate.
Acceleration check: trailing-twelve-month revenue grew +17.5% over the last 4 quarters against −1.1%/yr over the last 8 — accelerating.
→ Revenue grew — did margins hold as it scaled? Next: 5.8% this quarter (+1.1 pp YoY).
Operating margin Operating margin is what is left of every ₹100 of sales after running the business, before interest and tax. It is the cleanest read on pricing power and cost control.
Astec Lifesciences Ltd's operating margin is 5.8% in the Mar 26 quarter, +1.1 percentage points against the same quarter a year ago. Across 13 fiscal years the operating margin has ranged −17.0% to 23.0%. The current quarter sits inside that band.
Astec Lifesciences Ltd's operating margin is 5.8% in the Mar 26 quarter, +1.1 percentage points against the same quarter a year ago. Across 13 fiscal years the operating margin has ranged −17.0% to 23.0%. The current quarter sits inside that band.
The latest quarter's operating margin is 5.8%, +1.1 pp against the same quarter a year ago. Across 13 fiscal years the operating margin has ranged −17.0%–23.0%.
Why the margin moved: operating margin went +1.1 pp year on year while gross margin went −8.0 pp — the gain came mostly from the gross line: input costs and pricing.
→ Margins held — did that reach the bottom line? Next: profit null in the latest quarter.
Net profit Net profit is what survives every cost, interest and tax — the number EPS, dividends and book value all grow from.
Astec Lifesciences Ltd posted a net loss of ₹7.8 Cr in the Mar 26 quarter. The full FY26 year was a loss of ₹81.0 Cr. That loss is 4.9% of the quarter's revenue. The same quarter a year earlier lost ₹16.1 Cr. 12 of the last 12 reported quarters were loss-making.
Astec Lifesciences Ltd posted a net loss of ₹7.8 Cr in the Mar 26 quarter. The full FY26 year was a loss of ₹81.0 Cr. That loss is 4.9% of the quarter's revenue. The same quarter a year earlier lost ₹16.1 Cr. 12 of the last 12 reported quarters were loss-making.
Mar 26 profit was ₹−7.8 Cr, null year on year. On the full year, FY26 printed ₹−81.0 Cr (null).
→ Profit rose — but did the cash follow? Next: 50% of the last 3 years' profit arrived as cash.
Cash flow — the router The P&L says what was earned; the cash-flow statement says what actually arrived. Operating cash flow (CFO) against profit is the cleanest lie detector in the accounts.
Over the last 3 fiscal years 50% of Astec Lifesciences Ltd's reported profit arrived as operating cash — a gap worth watching. In FY26 that was ₹−81.0 Cr of operating cash against ₹−81.0 Cr of profit. After ₹4.0 Cr of capital spending, ₹−85.0 Cr was left as free cash.
FY26: operating cash of ₹−81.0 Cr against reported profit of ₹−81.0 Cr, leaving free cash of ₹−85.0 Cr after ₹4.0 Cr of capital spending. Across the last 3 fiscal years the conversion rate is 50% of profit.
Cash-flow readings here are annual — that is the resolution our series carries, so this section moves once a year.
🚨 Why conversion sits at 50%: the cash cycle stretched 163 days between FY21 and FY26 — more of each rupee of profit waits inside the cycle before arriving. Less than 70% of profit arriving as cash is the thing to watch on this page.
Router verdict: conversion is below par and the cash cycle has stretched 163 days — the next section's job is to find where the cash is stuck.
→ So follow the cash to where it goes. Next: the 263-day cycle, in money terms.
Where the cash goes Working capital is the cash tied up between paying suppliers and getting paid: debtor days (customers owe), inventory days (stock waits), and the cash conversion cycle (the whole loop, in days of sales).
Astec Lifesciences Ltd's cash conversion cycle runs 263 days in FY26, up from 100 days in FY21. Capital spending ran ₹159 Cr over the last 3 years. At FY26 sales of ₹448 Cr each day of that cycle holds about ₹1.2 Cr, so roughly ₹323 Cr sits inside the business at any moment.
FY26: debtors at 202 days, inventory at 169 days — roughly 5.6 months of stock waiting to sell; that is where the cash sits while it waits — for a full cycle of 263 days, looser than FY21's 100.
The full loop: cash goes out to suppliers and production on day 0; stock waits 169 days to sell; customers pay about 202 days after that; and suppliers themselves are paid at 107 days — netting out to the 263-day cycle.
In money terms: at FY26 sales of ₹448 Cr, each day of the cycle holds about ₹1.2 Cr — so the 263-day loop keeps roughly ₹323 Cr sitting inside the business at any moment.
On the investment side: capital spending of ₹159 Cr over the last 3 fiscal years against ₹125 Cr of depreciation — building somewhat ahead of wear-and-tear. Capital work-in-progress stands at ₹20.0 Cr (FY26) — capacity paid for but not yet earning.
The synthesis: the working-capital loop is the cash sink the router flagged — watch the cycle, not the P&L.
→ Does all this activity actually earn its cost of capital? Next: ROCE is −5% and the ROIC − WACC spread is −18.2 pp.
Return on capital Return on capital employed (ROCE) is the profit the whole business earns on all the money in it — equity and debt together. It is the single best test of whether growth creates value or just size.⚠ unverified
Astec Lifesciences Ltd earns a ROCE of −5% in FY26. That is up from a trough of −13% in FY25. Return on invested capital clears the cost of that capital by −18.2 percentage points, so growth here is not yet paying for the capital it uses. The wiring behind it is −18.1% net margin on 0.48× asset turns.
FY26 ROCE is −5%, recovered from a FY25 trough of −13% — the full ladder below shows the fall and the climb, undoctored.
🚨 Why the return is what it is — the wiring (FY26): −18.1% net margin × 0.48× asset turns × 2.42× balance-sheet leverage ≈ −21.0% on equity. Margin does its share; leverage is a meaningful part of the equation.
The capstone test — ROIC − WACC: −6.2% − 12.0% = a −18.2 pp spread. The 12.0% is a standing assumption for the cost of capital in India, not a per-stock estimate — read the sign and the size of the spread, not the decimals. Negative — growth at these returns destroys value until the returns recover.
→ Returns like these — is the balance sheet borrowing to make them? Next: debt-to-equity is 1.15.
Debt Debt-to-equity says how much of the business is funded by borrowings. Low is the safe corner; the trend matters as much as the level.⚠ unverified
Astec Lifesciences Ltd carries total debt of ₹449 Cr against shareholder equity of ₹391 Cr as of Mar 26, a debt-to-equity of 1.15. On the annual view that ratio went from 0.70 in FY22 to 1.15 in FY26. Read the returns elsewhere on this page with that leverage in mind.
Mar 26: total debt of ₹449 Cr against shareholder equity of ₹391 Cr — a debt-to-equity of 1.15. On the annual view, debt-to-equity went from 0.70 (FY22) to 1.15 (FY26). Read the returns on this page with that leverage in mind.
→ Who owns this, and are they adding or leaving? Next: Promoters added 5.2 points over 8 quarters.
Ownership Who owns the stock, quarter by quarter: promoters (the controlling owners), foreign and domestic institutions, and the public. Steady accumulation by people close to the numbers is a signal; a quiet register is also an answer.
Promoters added 5.2 points of Astec Lifesciences Ltd over 8 quarters, the biggest move on the register. That takes promoters to 72.0% of the company. Foreign institutions moved −1.0 points over the same window, to 0.0%. The register is read on the four disclosed classes only; nothing is inferred between filings.
The register over the last two years — Promoters: +5.2 points over 8 quarters to 72.0%; Foreign institutions: −1.0 points over 8 quarters to 0.0%; Domestic institutions: +0.0 points over 8 quarters to 3.3%.
Why the register moved: promoters drove it (+5.2 points), absorbed on the other side by foreign institutions (−1.0 points) — steady accumulation by institutions reading the same numbers this page reads.
→ One last check: does the safety math agree? Next: the balance-sheet safety line.
Safety line The Z-score estimates how far a company sits from balance-sheet distress — above roughly 3 is safe, below roughly 1.8 is the danger zone. It was built for manufacturers, so it is not applied to banks and lenders.
Astec Lifesciences Ltd: the Z-score is not available for this stock, so we say so rather than invent one. It is a distance-to-distress estimate from the balance sheet, not a forecast of failure. The debt, cash-flow and return sections above carry the balance-sheet evidence this page does hold, and each of them states its own reporting date.
The safety line in one sentence: the Z-score is not available for this stock, so we say so rather than invent one.
| Company | P/E | Mkt cap | Revenue | EPS | ROCE | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astec Lifesciences Ltd this page | 110.6× | ₹1,469 Cr | No read | |||
| UPL Ltd | 28.2× | ₹50,841 Cr | No read | |||
| P I Industries Ltd | 34.5× | ₹41,437 Cr | Deteriorating | |||
| Sumitomo Chemical India Ltd | 50.9× | ₹25,978 Cr | Mixed | |||
| Bayer CropScience Ltd | 385.0× | ₹18,954 Cr | — | — | — | — |
| Jubilant Ingrevia Ltd | 36.3× | ₹11,557 Cr | Mixed | |||
| Sharda Cropchem Ltd | 12.1× | ₹7,876 Cr | Mixed | |||
| Epigral Ltd | 15.2× | ₹5,016 Cr | Mixed | |||
| NACL Industries Ltd | 178.0× | ₹4,610 Cr | No read | |||
| Dhanuka Agritech Ltd | 15.5× | ₹4,517 Cr | Topping out | |||
| Rallis India Ltd | 26.9× | ₹4,253 Cr | Mixed | |||
| Bhagiradha Chemicals & Industries Ltd | 188.0× | ₹3,416 Cr | Improving | |||
| GSP Crop Science Ltd | 24.4× | ₹2,468 Cr | — | — | — | — |
| Bharat Rasayan Ltd | 13.1× | ₹2,096 Cr | Mixed | |||
| Insecticides India Ltd | 12.9× | ₹1,793 Cr | Mixed | |||
| India Pesticides Ltd | 14.4× | ₹1,727 Cr | Mixed | |||
| Titan Biotech Ltd | 57.5× | ₹1,719 Cr | Turning around | |||
| Meghmani Organics Ltd | 48.2× | ₹1,385 Cr | No read | |||
| Punjab Chemicals & Crop Protection Ltd | 21.0× | ₹1,375 Cr | Mixed | |||
| Excel Industries Ltd | 15.5× | ₹1,172 Cr | Mixed | |||
| Titan Biotech Ltd | 42.0× | ₹1,141 Cr | Turning around | |||
| Dharmaj Crop Guard Ltd | 16.1× | ₹882 Cr | No read | |||
| Advance Agrolife Ltd | 20.0× | ₹706 Cr | No read | |||
| Heranba Industries Ltd | — | ₹700 Cr | No read | |||
| Best Agrolife Ltd | 60.6× | ₹538 Cr | No read |
Frequently asked questions
What is Astec Lifesciences Ltd's share price today?
Astec Lifesciences Ltd trades at ₹691, −23.4% over the past year. The company is valued at ₹1,469 Cr. The stock sits at 38% of its 52-week range of ₹563–₹903, −3.9% versus its 200-day average. On the tape, the price is in a confirmed uptrend, 5 weeks in. — as of 24 July 2026.
What were Astec Lifesciences Ltd's latest quarterly results?
Astec Lifesciences Ltd reported revenue of ₹159 Cr and a net loss of ₹7.8 Cr for the Mar 26 quarter. Earnings per share were ₹−3.48. The operating margin was 5.8%, 1.1 pp higher than a year earlier. — as of 24 July 2026.
What is Astec Lifesciences Ltd's revenue?
Astec Lifesciences Ltd reported revenue of ₹159 Cr in the Mar 26 quarter, +32.7% year on year. For the full FY26 fiscal year, revenue was ₹448 Cr (+17.6%). Over the last 10 years revenue compounded at 6.8% a year. — as of 24 July 2026.
What is Astec Lifesciences Ltd's profit?
Astec Lifesciences Ltd earned ₹−7.8 Cr of net profit in the Mar 26 quarter. Full-year FY26 profit was ₹−81.0 Cr. The operating margin ran 5.8% in the latest quarter. — as of 24 July 2026.
What is Astec Lifesciences Ltd's market cap?
Astec Lifesciences Ltd's market capitalisation is ₹1,469 Cr at a share price of ₹691. Market cap is the share price multiplied by shares outstanding, so it is restated whenever the price moves. — as of 24 July 2026.
What is Astec Lifesciences Ltd's P/E ratio?
Astec Lifesciences Ltd trades at a P/E of 110.6×, at the 94th percentile of its own 7-year range, against a long-run median of 46.4×. This is a comparison with the stock's own history, not a value call — as of 24 July 2026.
Does Astec Lifesciences Ltd pay a dividend?
Not in its latest year — Astec Lifesciences Ltd's dividend payout was 0% of profit in FY26. It did record a payout in 9 of its last 13 reported fiscal years, so there is a history but no current dividend. This page holds the payout ratio, not a per-share amount. — as of 24 July 2026.
Is Astec Lifesciences Ltd overvalued?
On its own history, Astec Lifesciences Ltd looks expensive against its own history: its P/E of 110.6× sits at the 94th percentile of its 7-year range (long-run median 46.4×). That is a percentile read against the stock's own past, not a price opinion or a direction call. — as of 24 July 2026.
How is Astec Lifesciences Ltd performing?
Astec Lifesciences Ltd is in a confirmed uptrend, 5 weeks in. Against the NIFTY 500 it has been behind on a trailing-13-week view for 3 weeks. This describes what the data did, not a rating. — as of 24 July 2026.
Is Astec Lifesciences Ltd in an uptrend?
Yes — the price is in a confirmed uptrend (week 5 of stage 2), trading −3.9% versus its 200-day average and at 38% of its 52-week range. Price stages cycle base → advance → top → decline, and the stage names where this stock sits in that cycle — as of 24 July 2026.
Is Astec Lifesciences Ltd beating the market?
Not lately — on a trailing-13-week view Astec Lifesciences Ltd is currently behind the NIFTY 500 (3 weeks and counting; last ahead the week of 2026-07-01), the same metric the week-by-week ribbon on this page draws. Separately, on the cumulative view: over the last 10.3 years the stock moved +251% against the NIFTY 500's +274% — behind the index over the full window. — as of 24 July 2026.
Will Astec Lifesciences Ltd's share price go up?
This page publishes no price forecast for Astec Lifesciences Ltd. What it measures instead: the share price is ₹691, the price is in a confirmed uptrend 5 weeks in. Its P/E of 110.6× sits at the 94th percentile of its own 7-year range. — as of 24 July 2026.
Who owns Astec Lifesciences Ltd?
Promoters hold 72.0% of Astec Lifesciences Ltd, foreign institutions 0.0%, domestic institutions 3.3% and the public 24.7% (latest quarter). The biggest move on the register over the last two years: Promoters added 5.2 points over 8 quarters. — as of 24 July 2026.
Does Astec Lifesciences Ltd have too much debt?
It carries real leverage — Astec Lifesciences Ltd's debt-to-equity is 1.15, and operating profit covers the interest bill −0×. FY26 borrowings were ₹449 Cr against equity of ₹390 Cr. Read the returns on this page with that leverage in mind — as of 24 July 2026.
What is Astec Lifesciences Ltd's capex?
Astec Lifesciences Ltd spent ₹159 Cr on capital expenditure over the last 3 fiscal years, a figure derived from the change in fixed assets plus depreciation. In FY26 alone that was ₹4.0 Cr, with ₹20.0 Cr in capital work-in-progress — capacity paid for but not yet earning. — as of 24 July 2026.
What is Astec Lifesciences Ltd's cash flow?
Astec Lifesciences Ltd generated ₹−81.0 Cr of operating cash flow in FY26 and ₹−85.0 Cr of free cash flow after ₹4.0 Cr of capital spending. Reported profit that year was ₹−81.0 Cr, so operating cash ran ahead of profit. Cash-flow resolution for India is annual. — as of 24 July 2026.
Is Astec Lifesciences Ltd's profit real cash?
Not fully — over the last 3 fiscal years, 50% of Astec Lifesciences Ltd's reported profit arrived as operating cash. In FY26, operating cash was ₹−81.0 Cr against reported profit of ₹−81.0 Cr. The cash then goes mostly into the working-capital cycle. Cash-flow resolution is annual — as of 24 July 2026.
Where is Astec Lifesciences Ltd in its business cycle?
Astec Lifesciences Ltd's FY26 operating margin was −1.0%, against a 13-year band of −17.0%–23.0%: mid-band by its own history — neither the peak that precedes mean-reversion nor the trough that precedes recovery. The latest quarter ran 5.8%. Profitability versus a company's own long band is the cleanest cycle clock this page holds — as of 24 July 2026.
What could break the Astec Lifesciences Ltd story?
The sharpest disagreement: profits are rising, but only 50% of the last 3 years' profit arrived as operating cash — the gap between the P&L and the bank account is the thing to watch. Mechanically, two Friday closes in a row below the 200-day average would end the price trend — that is the exit rule this page tracks — as of 24 July 2026.
Is Astec Lifesciences Ltd a stock worth studying right now?
This is not investment advice. The machine read: Astec Lifesciences Ltd is strength at full price. The numbers are improving — and a P/E at the 94th percentile of its own range says the market knows. The sharpest open question: whether the cash starts following the profit. Every number on this page is drawn deterministically from the raw series, with no forecasts and no price opinions — as of 24 July 2026.