Profits posted by listed companies backed by private equity (PE) firms grew at nearly double the pace of the broader market in 2010, but the performance of their stocks has been mixed, with over half of them underperforming the Nifty.
A Mint analysis of earnings at 67 PE-backed listed companies shows that aggregate profits grew 46% in the 12 months to 30 September 2010 from the year-earlier period. Profits made by the 50 companies that make up the Nifty rose 11% in the same period, while BSE 500 companies saw a 26% growth.
The BSE 500 accounts for 93% of the market capitalization on the Bombay Stock Exchange. As December quarter results have not been declared, earnings of the year to September were considered for the analysis. The list of PE-backed companies was provided by VCCEdge, a financial research platform.
PE firms often bring about an improvement in the financial performance of a firm by introducing better management practices, for instance, in the use of working capital and debt, and by coaxing promoters to cut costs. Besides, there is either a formal or informal agreement in these PIPE (private investments in public equity) deals regarding the growth that has to be achieved by the company or the strategy that has to be followed.
The average stock returns of PE-backed firms at 21% have been higher than the 17% by the Nifty companies in the period, with the stock prices of six of the first group having more than doubled. But a majority of the 67 companies lag behind the Nifty, with 29 of them having declined in value.
Several of the investments were made in sectors such as construction and software, which faced a tough time last year, and had muted earnings growth. It also takes more than a year to see a complete turnaround in the fortunes of companies.
A case in point is the growth in the top line, which is usually harder to achieve and takes more time than an improvement in margins through cost-cutting. While profits at the PE-backed firms grew faster than their peers, sales growth at 22% was roughly similar to that of the broader market.
“It usually takes more than a year to see a rise in stock prices of companies which enter into a PIPE deal as there is a dilution of share value initially because new shares are issued,” said Saurabh Mukherjea, head of equities at Ambit Capital Pvt. Ltd.
“Many new PE players are still trying to figure out what is the best time to exit and the jury is still out on whether PE-backed companies can generate market-beating returns,” he added.
While some PE investments, such as that of Bain Capital Advisors (
Once deals are completed, strategic investors appear to derive less advantage from their industry expertise than principal investors or financial investors do from an active approach to ownership, says a report released by consultancy McKinsey and Co. in May 2010.
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To be sure, in companies where PE firms have a say in management, they tend to change the way they are run and bring in professional management.
“PE firms bring in financial discipline and, if they have a significant minority stake of 10% or more, can bring in changes like helping in hiring a strong marketing and sales team or bringing better IT systems on board,” said Vikram Utamsingh, executive director and head private equity group at KPMG India Pvt. Ltd.
For instance, when Ascent India Capital Advisors, earlier known as UTI Ventures, invested in Consolidated Construction Consortium Ltd (CCCL), a construction services provider, the company was only involved in special economic zone (SEZ) projects and corporate or commercial parks. The PE firm suggested that the company start a vertical catering to the infrastructure space, which now makes a significant contribution to revenue, said Raja Kumar, founder and chief executive of Ascent.
Unlike other investors, PE firms can’t divest and reinvest, so they have to ensure that they get the best returns on exit, said Kumar.
While PE firms earn reasonable profits on most investments, they lose money on others. In November, Warburg Pincus sold a 4.08% stake in Amtek India Ltd at $7.92 million (Rs.35.8 crore), out of its total holding of 7.45%. It had invested $37.69 million in the firm in October 2007, making for a 63% drop in value.
A successful PE investment can give returns of two-three times. ChrysCapital Investment Advisors, known for investing in public companies, exited its investment in Infosys Technologies Ltd at $400 million after investing about $200 million in 2008.
Source: Livemint