Railtel Corporation of India 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.

Railtel Corporation of India Ltd trades at ₹260, in a downtrend and 42 weeks into that stage. That is −16.8% against its own 200-day average. It sits at 0% of a 52-week range of ₹260 to ₹378. On relative strength it is currently behind the NIFTY 500 on a trailing-13-week view (15 weeks and counting).

Today the stock is in a downtrend — week 42 of stage 4, confirmed. At ₹260 it trades −16.8% versus its 200-day average and sits at 0% of its 52-week range (₹260–₹378).

Against the market, two honest reads. Cumulative: over the last 5.5 years the stock moved +63% while the NIFTY 500 moved +80% — behind the index over the full window. Recent form: on a trailing-13-week view the stock is currently behind (15 weeks and counting; last ahead the week of 2026-06-17) — 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.

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.

Railtel Corporation of India Ltd trades at 22.5× P/E, near the bottom of its own range — cheaper only 24% of the time. Its long-run median P/E is 29.2×, measured across 5.5 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 22.5× is near the bottom of its own range — cheaper only 24% of the time, against a long-run median of 29.2× measured over 5.5 years of weekly readings. This is a comparison against the stock's own history — not a claim about what it is worth.

Why the multiple sits where it does: over the past year annual EPS moved +15.5% against a −30.6% price move — earnings outran the price, pushing the multiple DOWN its own range.

The price move, decomposed: over 5y, of the +14.8%/yr price move, ~+20.6%/yr came from earnings growth and ~−5.8 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.

Stage: Topping out 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).

Railtel Corporation of India Ltd reads as topping out on its fundamental arc. Topping out — profit and EPS growth have decelerated hard (profit growth +30.2% at its peak → +9.1% latest) while ROCE still reads 19.8%. The read is built from 12 quarters across 4 curves, on full evidence.

Why it matters: decelerating from a peak is where good stories quietly end — the multiple usually notices late.

4-Factor Sector Score

65.5/100 — rank 2 of 9 in Railways · 94% evidence confidence

Railtel Corporation of India Ltd scores 65.5 out of 100 against the 9 companies it is compared with in Railways, 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: 21.2 + 19.6 + 14.8 + 9.9 = 65.5. 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.

Railtel Corporation of India Ltd reported ₹893 Cr of revenue in the Jun 26 quarter, +20.0% year on year. That is the 12th straight quarter of year-on-year growth. Over 10 years it has compounded at 22.3% a year. The last full year, FY26, came in at ₹4,277 Cr. The last four reported quarters add to ₹4,426 Cr.

FY26 revenue came in at ₹4,277 Cr (+23.0% on the year), capping 10 years at 22.3% compound. The latest quarter (Jun 26) printed ₹893 Cr, +20.0% year on year — the 12th consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth.

Pace check: the last four quarters averaged +19.8% growth against the decade's 22.3% — the current year is running slower than its own long-run rate.

Acceleration check: trailing-twelve-month revenue grew +20.8% over the last 4 quarters against +29.0%/yr over the last 8 — rolling over; TTM profit +9.1% vs +16.0%/yr — rolling over.

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.

Railtel Corporation of India Ltd's operating margin is 15.0% in the Jun 26 quarter, −1.0 percentage points against the same quarter a year ago. Across 13 fiscal years the operating margin has ranged 15.0% to 38.0%. The current quarter sits inside that band.

The latest quarter's operating margin is 15.0%, −1.0 pp against the same quarter a year ago. Across 13 fiscal years the operating margin has ranged 15.0%–38.0%.

🚨 Why the margin moved: operating margin went −0.8 pp year on year while gross margin went +0.0 pp — the loss came mostly below the gross line: operating leverage, with costs spread over a bigger revenue base.

Net profit Net profit is what survives every cost, interest and tax — the number EPS, dividends and book value all grow from.

Railtel Corporation of India Ltd earned ₹66.0 Cr of net profit in the Jun 26 quarter, +0.0% year on year. Full-year FY26 profit was ₹346 Cr. The 10-year compound rate is 13.0%. That is 7.4% of the quarter's revenue. The same quarter a year earlier earned ₹66.0 Cr.

Jun 26 profit was ₹66.0 Cr, +0.0% year on year. On the full year, FY26 printed ₹346 Cr (+15.3%), and the 10-year compound rate is 13.0%.

🚨 Why profit moved: revenue contributed +20.0% and the margin −1.0 pp — the quarter was revenue-led, with the margin roughly flat.

Pace comparison, last four quarters: profit +6.3% vs revenue +19.8%. Profit is growing slower than sales — costs are eating the growth before it reaches the bottom line.

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 126% of Railtel Corporation of India Ltd's reported profit arrived as operating cash — the cash follows the profit. In FY26 that was ₹316 Cr of operating cash against ₹346 Cr of profit. After ₹346 Cr of capital spending, ₹−30.0 Cr was left as free cash.

FY26: operating cash of ₹316 Cr against reported profit of ₹346 Cr, leaving free cash of ₹−30.0 Cr after ₹346 Cr of capital spending. Across the last 3 fiscal years the conversion rate is 126% 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 126%: the cash cycle tightened 33 days between FY21 and FY26 — cash that used to wait in the cycle now reaches the bank sooner.

Router verdict: the bigger cash user is investment — capital spending ran 1.7× depreciation over three years, so the next section's job is to check what that build-out is buying.

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).

Railtel Corporation of India Ltd's cash conversion cycle runs 175 days in FY26, down from 208 days in FY21. Capital spending ran ₹911 Cr over the last 3 years. At FY26 sales of ₹4,277 Cr each day of that cycle holds about ₹11.7 Cr, so roughly ₹2,051 Cr sits inside the business at any moment.

FY26: debtors at 175 days (an asset-light business — no inventory to speak of) — for a full cycle of 175 days, tighter than FY21's 208.

In money terms: at FY26 sales of ₹4,277 Cr, each day of the cycle holds about ₹11.7 Cr — so the 175-day loop keeps roughly ₹2,051 Cr sitting inside the business at any moment.

On the investment side: capital spending of ₹911 Cr over the last 3 fiscal years against ₹527 Cr of depreciation — the company is building well ahead of wear-and-tear. Capital work-in-progress stands at ₹81.0 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.

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.

Railtel Corporation of India Ltd earns a ROCE of 23% in FY26. That is up from a trough of 14% in FY21. Return on invested capital clears the cost of that capital by +7.3 percentage points, so growth here adds value rather than only size. The wiring behind it is 8.1% net margin on 0.73× asset turns.

FY26 ROCE is 23%, recovered from a FY21 trough of 14% — the full ladder below shows the fall and the climb, undoctored.

Why the return is what it is — the wiring (FY26): 8.1% net margin × 0.73× asset turns × 2.58× balance-sheet leverage ≈ 15.3% on equity. Margin does its share; leverage is a meaningful part of the equation.

The capstone test — ROIC − WACC: 19.3% − 12.0% = a +7.3 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.

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.

Railtel Corporation of India Ltd carries total debt of ₹64.0 Cr against shareholder equity of ₹2,262 Cr as of Mar 26, a debt-to-equity of 0.03 — effectively unlevered. On the annual view that ratio went from 0.02 in FY22 to 0.03 in FY26. The returns elsewhere on this page are therefore earned rather than borrowed.

Mar 26: total debt of ₹64.0 Cr against shareholder equity of ₹2,262 Cr — a debt-to-equity of 0.03. On the annual view, debt-to-equity went from 0.02 (FY22) to 0.03 (FY26). The returns on this page are earned, not borrowed.

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.

Domestic institutions cut 1.9 points of Railtel Corporation of India Ltd over 8 quarters, the biggest move on the register. That takes domestic institutions to 1.0% of the company. Foreign institutions moved +1.8 points over the same window, to 4.0%. The register is read on the four disclosed classes only; nothing is inferred between filings.

The register over the last two years — Domestic institutions: −1.9 points over 8 quarters to 1.0%; Foreign institutions: +1.8 points over 8 quarters to 4.0%; Promoters: +0.0 points over 8 quarters to 72.8%.

Why the register moved: rotation — foreign institutions +1.8 points against domestic institutions −1.9 points over 8 quarters, with promoters holding steady — one class of institutions handing the register to the other, not a verdict change by the people closest to the numbers.

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.

Railtel Corporation of India Ltd: the Z-score reads 3.58. A Z-score above roughly 3 reads as safe and below roughly 1.8 as the distress zone, so this sits well clear of distress. It is a distance-to-distress estimate from the balance sheet, not a forecast of failure.

Why it matters: a Z-score of 3.58 sits well clear of the distress zone — the balance sheet is not the risk here.

The safety line in one sentence: the Z-score reads 3.58.

Frequently asked questions