Kothari Petrochemicals Ltd

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.

Kothari Petrochemicals Ltd trades at ₹130, in a downtrend and 45 weeks into that stage. That is −1.2% against its own 200-day average. It sits at 44% of a 52-week range of ₹100 to ₹168. On relative strength it has been ahead of the NIFTY 500 on a trailing-13-week view for 1 straight week.

Today the stock is in a downtrend — week 45 of stage 4, confirmed. At ₹130 it trades −1.2% versus its 200-day average and sits at 44% of its 52-week range (₹100–₹168).

Against the market, two honest reads. Cumulative: over the last 10.4 years the stock moved +664% while the NIFTY 500 moved +280% — ahead of the index over the full window. Recent form: on a trailing-13-week view the stock has been ahead for 1 straight week — 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 29th 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.

Kothari Petrochemicals Ltd trades at 10.7× P/E, near the bottom of its own range — cheaper only 29% of the time. Its long-run median P/E is 13.3×, measured across 10.4 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 10.7× is near the bottom of its own range — cheaper only 29% of the time, against a long-run median of 13.3× measured over 10.4 years of weekly readings. This is a comparison against the stock's own history — not a claim about what it is worth.

One caveat before moving on: margins are the best this company has ever printed — cheap against its own history on record margins is not the same thing as cheap. If profitability mean-reverts, today's multiple is higher than it looks.

Why the multiple sits where it does: over the past year annual EPS moved +10.1% against a −26.9% price move — earnings outran the price, pushing the multiple DOWN its own range.

The price move, decomposed: over 5y, of the +24.9%/yr price move, ~+26.7%/yr came from earnings growth and ~−1.8 pp from the multiple (compressing); over 10y, of the +19.5%/yr price move, ~+24.7%/yr came from earnings growth and ~−5.2 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 low 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: Mixed 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).

Kothari Petrochemicals Ltd reads as mixed on its fundamental arc. Mixed — no clean majority across the growth curves, ROCE holding at 29.0% — the per-curve reads carry the story. The read is built from 10 quarters across 3 curves, on partial evidence.

Why it matters: when the curves disagree, the per-curve reads above matter more than any single verdict.

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.

A partial read: at least one curve is short, or the returns curve is not the computed quarterly series — hold the stage word a little more loosely.

→ The stage names the trajectory. Next: the revenue line that produces it, quarter by quarter.

4-Factor Sector Score

62.5/100 — rank 2 of 7 in Petrochem - Polymers · 83% evidence confidence

Kothari Petrochemicals Ltd scores 62.5 out of 100 against the 7 companies it is compared with in Petrochem - Polymers, ranking 2. Balanced evidence: keep at normal research priority and require another comparable period before raising conviction.

The four contributions add to the total exactly: 18.7 + 21.1 + 13.2 + 9.5 = 62.5. 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.

Kothari Petrochemicals Ltd reported ₹153 Cr of revenue in the Mar 26 quarter, +0.0% year on year. Over 10 years it has compounded at 10.8% a year. The last full year, FY26, came in at ₹591 Cr. The last four reported quarters add to ₹592 Cr.

Kothari Petrochemicals Ltd reported ₹153 Cr of revenue in the Mar 26 quarter, +0.0% year on year. Over 10 years it has compounded at 10.8% a year. The last full year, FY26, came in at ₹591 Cr. The last four reported quarters add to ₹592 Cr.

FY26 revenue came in at ₹591 Cr (+2.4% on the year), capping 10 years at 10.8% compound. The latest quarter (Mar 26) printed ₹153 Cr, +0.0% year on year.

Pace check: the last four quarters averaged +2.4% growth against the decade's 10.8% — the current year is running slower than its own long-run rate.

Acceleration check: trailing-twelve-month revenue grew +2.2% over the last 4 quarters against −1.0%/yr over the last 8 — accelerating; TTM profit +12.3% vs +6.8%/yr — accelerating.

→ Revenue grew — did margins hold as it scaled? Next: 16.0% this quarter (+1.0 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.

Kothari Petrochemicals Ltd's operating margin is 16.0% in the Mar 26 quarter, +1.0 percentage points against the same quarter a year ago. That is the widest this company has ever printed on a full-year basis. Across 14 fiscal years the operating margin has ranged 3.0% to 16.0%. The current quarter sits inside that band.

Kothari Petrochemicals Ltd's operating margin is 16.0% in the Mar 26 quarter, +1.0 percentage points against the same quarter a year ago. That is the widest this company has ever printed on a full-year basis. Across 14 fiscal years the operating margin has ranged 3.0% to 16.0%. The current quarter sits inside that band.

The latest quarter's operating margin is 16.0%, +1.0 pp against the same quarter a year ago. Across 14 fiscal years the operating margin has ranged 3.0%–16.0%, and FY26's 16.0% is the top of that band — a record year.

Why the margin moved: operating margin went +0.4 pp year on year while gross margin went +4.3 pp — the gain came mostly from the gross line: input costs and pricing.

Worth repeating from the valuation section: cheap against its own history on record margins is not the same thing as cheap — a record margin flatters every ratio built on top of it.

→ Margins held — did that reach the bottom line? Next: profit +5.9% 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.

Kothari Petrochemicals Ltd earned ₹18.0 Cr of net profit in the Mar 26 quarter, +5.9% year on year. It is the 3rd consecutive quarter of growth. Full-year FY26 profit was ₹72.0 Cr. The 10-year compound rate is 23.1%. That is 11.8% of the quarter's revenue. The same quarter a year earlier earned ₹17.0 Cr.

Kothari Petrochemicals Ltd earned ₹18.0 Cr of net profit in the Mar 26 quarter, +5.9% year on year. It is the 3rd consecutive quarter of growth. Full-year FY26 profit was ₹72.0 Cr. The 10-year compound rate is 23.1%. That is 11.8% of the quarter's revenue. The same quarter a year earlier earned ₹17.0 Cr.

Mar 26 profit was ₹18.0 Cr, +5.9% year on year — the 3rd consecutive quarter of growth. On the full year, FY26 printed ₹72.0 Cr (+9.1%), and the 10-year compound rate is 23.1%.

Why profit moved: revenue contributed +0.0% and the margin +1.0 pp — the quarter was revenue-led, with the margin roughly flat.

Pace comparison, last four quarters: profit +14.8% vs revenue +2.4%. Profit is growing faster than sales — fixed costs are being spread over a bigger base, and each extra rupee of revenue drops more to the bottom line.

→ Profit rose — but did the cash follow? Next: 105% 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 105% of Kothari Petrochemicals Ltd's reported profit arrived as operating cash — the cash follows the profit. In FY26 that was ₹81.0 Cr of operating cash against ₹72.0 Cr of profit. After ₹18.0 Cr of capital spending, ₹63.0 Cr was left as free cash.

FY26: operating cash of ₹81.0 Cr against reported profit of ₹72.0 Cr, leaving free cash of ₹63.0 Cr after ₹18.0 Cr of capital spending. Across the last 3 fiscal years the conversion rate is 105% 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 105%: the cash cycle stretched 30 days between FY21 and FY26 — more of each rupee of profit waits inside the cycle before arriving.

Router verdict: the bigger cash user is investment — capital spending ran 4.9× depreciation over three years, so the next section's job is to check what that build-out is buying.

→ So follow the cash to where it goes. Next: ₹123 Cr of building over 3 years.

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).

Kothari Petrochemicals Ltd's cash conversion cycle runs 30 days in FY26, up from 0 days in FY21. Capital spending ran ₹123 Cr over the last 3 years. At FY26 sales of ₹591 Cr each day of that cycle holds about ₹1.6 Cr, so roughly ₹49.0 Cr sits inside the business at any moment.

FY26: debtors at 38 days, inventory at 27 days — roughly 0.9 months of stock waiting to sell; that is where the cash sits while it waits — for a full cycle of 30 days, looser than FY21's 0.

The full loop: cash goes out to suppliers and production on day 0; stock waits 27 days to sell; customers pay about 38 days after that; and suppliers themselves are paid at 34 days — netting out to the 30-day cycle.

In money terms: at FY26 sales of ₹591 Cr, each day of the cycle holds about ₹1.6 Cr — so the 30-day loop keeps roughly ₹49.0 Cr sitting inside the business at any moment.

On the investment side: capital spending of ₹123 Cr over the last 3 fiscal years against ₹25.0 Cr of depreciation — the company is building well ahead of wear-and-tear. Capital work-in-progress stands at ₹8.0 Cr (FY26) — capacity paid for but not yet earning.

The synthesis: the cash is going into capacity, not disappearing into the cycle — the question becomes whether the new capacity earns.

→ Does all this activity actually earn its cost of capital? Next: ROCE is 29% and the ROIC − WACC spread is +8.7 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

Kothari Petrochemicals Ltd earns a ROCE of 29% in FY26. That is up from a trough of 12% in FY17. Return on invested capital clears the cost of that capital by +8.7 percentage points, so growth here adds value rather than only size. The wiring behind it is 12.2% net margin on 1.34× asset turns.

FY26 ROCE is 29%, recovered from a FY17 trough of 12% — the full ladder below shows the fall and the climb, undoctored.

Why the return is what it is — the wiring (FY26): 12.2% net margin × 1.34× asset turns × 1.19× balance-sheet leverage ≈ 19.5% on equity. Margin does its share; leverage is modest — this is an earned return, not a borrowed one.

The capstone test — ROIC − WACC: 20.7% − 12.0% = a +8.7 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. A spread this wide means every rupee reinvested creates more than a rupee of value — the engine compounds.

→ Returns like these — is the balance sheet borrowing to make them? Next: debt-to-equity is 0.01.

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

Kothari Petrochemicals Ltd carries total debt of ₹2.0 Cr against shareholder equity of ₹372 Cr as of Mar 26, a debt-to-equity of 0.01 — effectively unlevered. On the annual view that ratio went from 0.08 in FY22 to 0.01 in FY26. The returns elsewhere on this page are therefore earned rather than borrowed.

Mar 26: total debt of ₹2.0 Cr against shareholder equity of ₹372 Cr — a debt-to-equity of 0.01. On the annual view, debt-to-equity went from 0.08 (FY22) to 0.01 (FY26). The returns on this page are earned, not borrowed.

→ Who owns this, and are they adding or leaving? Next: Promoters added 1.2 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 1.2 points of Kothari Petrochemicals Ltd over 8 quarters, the biggest move on the register. That takes promoters to 72.2% of the company. Foreign institutions moved +0.0 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: +1.2 points over 8 quarters to 72.2%; Foreign institutions: +0.0 points over 8 quarters to 0.0%; Domestic institutions: +0.0 points over 8 quarters to 0.1%.

Why the register moved: promoters drove it (+1.2 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.

Kothari Petrochemicals 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.

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