Asian Paints shares in focus after Birla Opus files abuse complaint; CCI probe likely
Asian Paints shares
will be in focus on Monday after Birla Opus Paints, a unit of the Birla Group, filed a complaint with the
Competition Commission of India
(CCI), accusing the company of abuse of dominance, according to sources cited by CNBC-TV18.
Grasim Industries
, which owns Birla Opus Paints, reportedly filed the complaint in November 2024, alleging that Asian Paints threatened dealers with reduced credit limits and withdrawal of contracts if they engaged with Grasim. The complaint also accuses Asian Paints of delaying supplies and restricting access to tinting machines as a pressure tactic.
Asian Paints, India's largest paint manufacturer, holds 53% of the country's installed paint production capacity and has a vast distribution network of over 74,000 dealers across 1.6 lakh touchpoints.
Sources said the CCI is expected to soon initiate a formal investigation into the allegations, with an order for a probe likely in the near future.
Also Read:
Dixon Technologies, LIC Housing Finance among 10 mid-cap stocks analysts expect to gain up to 40%
Live Events
Asian Paints
Q4 Earnings
Asian Paints reported a 45% year-on-year decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 692 crore in Q4FY25, down from Rs 1,257 crore in the same period last year. Revenue from operations fell 4% YoY to Rs 8,330 crore.
Profit before depreciation, interest, tax, other income, and exceptional items (PBDIT) dropped 15% YoY to Rs 1,436 crore. The PBDIT margin slipped to 17.2% from 19.4%.
Asian Paints Share Price Target and Performance
According to Trendlyne, the average target price for Asian Paints is Rs 2,289, implying a potential upside of 2%. Of the 35 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is 'Sell'.
The stock has declined 23% over the past year and 30% over the last two years. Its current market capitalisation stands at Rs 2.15 lakh crore.
Also Read:
India's top 10 priciest stocks in 2025: MRF to Elcid, see who tops the list
(
Disclaimer
: Recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
28 minutes ago
- Economic Times
How China's craze for Pakistani donkeys is crushing the cash-strapped country's poor
Ejiao demand fuels price hike Live Events Livelihood at stake Chinese interest and ethical concerns What about meat concerns? (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Abdul Rasheed is in trouble. Last week, his donkey named Tiger, his only source of income, died in an accident. Without a donkey cart, Rasheed has no way to earn money. But buying a new donkey is now a big problem. Prices have shot up to as high as Rs 2 lakh in Karachi and other parts of Pakistan, far more than the Rs 30,000 he paid for Tiger eight years is not alone. Many other poor workers who rely on donkeys for their daily earnings are facing the same crisis. The reason? A growing demand from China, which uses donkey skin to make a traditional medicine called ejiao. It is believed to help with fatigue, improve immunity, reduce tumours, and treat ejiao industry has seen a huge boom. With not enough donkeys at home, Chinese buyers are turning to Pakistan, where donkeys are cheaper and easier to per a PTI report, Dr Guo Jing Feng, who runs a medical centre in Karachi, said China's need for donkey hides is only going to increase. 'This is now a global trade,' he explained, 'and China's demand is much higher than its supply.'Even in the Lyari market, Pakistan's biggest donkey market, prices have jumped. Rasheed says the cheapest healthy donkey he could find was Rs 1.55 lakh. 'How can I afford that? Even if I somehow buy one, what if it dies before I recover my investment?'Donkeys are vital for many industries in Pakistan, from brick kilns and agriculture to transport and even laundry services. Workers like Samad use them to carry heavy loads across rough roads, earning Rs 1,500–2,000 a day, half of which goes into feeding and caring for the around 5.9 million working donkeys, Pakistan is home to the third largest donkey population in the world, after Ethiopia and April 2025, a Chinese delegation met with Pakistan's food security minister to discuss setting up donkey farms. The idea is to use local labour for care and management, which could help Pakistan's not everyone agrees. Dr Asal Khan, a senior official from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said some Chinese companies had shown interest in exporting donkeys, but 'we are not allowing that to happen.'Donkey traders say some Chinese buyers are even willing to purchase weak animals just for their hides. In one case, a group paid Rs 40,000 each for 14 unhealthy issues also remain. Saleem Reza of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce says there must be strict rules. 'Donkey meat is haram for us,' he said. 'The government must ensure donkeys are not slaughtered in Pakistan and their meat is not sold illegally.'He added that proper factories are needed to manage hide and meat processing, to make sure nothing enters local markets from PTI
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
30 minutes ago
- Business Standard
NHAI to consider public InvIT to widen investor base, include retail buyers
Aiming to raise public funds for its asset monetisation pipeline, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Monday said it is considering a new infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) open to retail investors. 'NHAI has successfully launched private InvIT and monetised over 2,300 km of highways. NHAI is now considering launching public InvIT to increase the overall investor base, develop a competitive environment in the InvIT market, and mitigate the risk of a limited investor base. Further, public InvIT will also cater to retail investors, thereby providing access to infrastructure assets,' the highway authority said in its Asset Monetisation Strategy Report. Union highways minister Nitin Gadkari has repeatedly said over the past four years that he wants common citizens to benefit from rapid infrastructure expansion by allowing them to invest in highway projects via InvITs. However, officials said the process has turned out to be lengthy and complicated with tough regulations in place. In its report, NHAI did not confirm it will decisively go through with the proposal. InvITs are one of the three primary modes of highway monetisation used by NHAI, under which a trust manages several road assets and investors can benefit from toll revenues by becoming unitholders. As a department, NHAI has contributed significantly to the first National Monetisation Pipeline. It has achieved 71 per cent of NITI Aayog's NMP Road Sector Pipeline from 2021-22 to 2024-25 (Rs 1.15 trillion achieved out of a target of Rs 1.6 trillion). Total monetisation so far stands at Rs 1.4 trillion. The highways ministry is also likely to be given the steepest target of all government departments in the second monetisation pipeline, which will run up to 2029-30. It will likely have to monetise highways worth Rs 3.5 trillion over the next five years. The authority also mentioned an issue that had previously been a bone of contention between the private sector and government – the determination of Initial Estimated Concession Value (IECV). In 2020, the authority stopped declaring IECV of toll-operate-transfer (TOT) bundles, fearing a concentration of bids around the disclosed price. The sector responded that the disclosure of IECV was an important requirement, after which NHAI started disclosing the assumptions made to reach the IECV, but not the amount itself. Now, it plans to make the disclosure model more transparent. 'By aligning investor expectations with the potential performance of the asset, NHAI will aim to minimise risks and enhance the attractiveness of the investment opportunity through monetisation. Currently, NHAI declares macroeconomic factors such as interest rate, inflation, traffic and revenue growth rate, operating and maintenance expenditure, etc. NHAI will regularly review and update these factors to assist potential investors in preparing more realistic estimations,' it said. NHAI already has initiatives underway to increase the number and volume of ToT bundles and InvIT phases. Specifically, NHAI aims to offer three ToT bundles per quarter, including one smaller (Rs 2,000 crore), one medium (Rs 5,000 crore), and one large (Rs 9,000 crore) bundle, and to conduct one or two InvIT phases each year to cater to a broad spectrum of investors. NHAI will also assess market conditions in future and adjust bundle sizes accordingly, it said.
Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Time of India
‘Better than America…': Nitin Gadkari asserts India's roads to be comparable to US in 2 years, adds ‘main picture yet to start'
Gadkari explained that the improved road network developed by the government has decreased logistics expenses in India. (AI image) India's road infrastructure would rival that of America within two years, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday. Highlighting Modi government's increased investment in roads and highways during the past decade, Gadkari said that projects are progressing well. "The question is not about the facelift, it has already changed. You have just watched the news reel, the main picture is yet to start,' Gadkari told ANI. He mentioned that certain American visitors had acknowledged that India's infrastructure surpassed their own. 'Some people from America met me and said our infrastructure is better than America,' he said. 'The projects in the pipeline are progressing rapidly. In another two years, you will be able to see that Indian road infrastructure will be similar to that of America," the Minister of Road Transport and Highways said when questioned about the transformation of Indian roads. Also Read | USBRL project: Chenab bridge, Anji & new Vande Bharat trains - Kashmir finally gets Indian Railways connectivity with rest of India; top 25 stunning facts Gadkari explained that the improved road network developed by the government has decreased logistics expenses in India, which will enhance export competitiveness. "If we raise our exports, it will improve our agricultural sector, manufacturing, and services, among all other sectors," he said. Gadkari highlighted that India's primary challenge in the past has been its high logistics cost of 16%, compared to China's 8% and the US and European nations' 12%. "Our roads were not good, our ports were not good. Traffic congestion raised costs," he explained. The Modi government has successfully reduced logistics costs to 9% through enhanced road infrastructure, according to Gadkari. "This reduced cost will make us export competitive," he reiterated. The minister outlined ongoing projects, including 25 greenfield expressways, a 3,000 km port connectivity highway, and religious tourism circuit roads valued at Rs 1 lakh crore. Also Read | Indian Railways to achieve net zero targets in 2025 itself - 5 years ahead of 2030 goal He highlighted plans for connecting Buddhist circuits and ensuring all-weather access to Char Dhams. "We are developing 36 tunnels between Jammu and Srinagar; 23 have been completed, and works for another 4-5 are underway," Gadkari said. "We are developing 15 ropeways under Parvatmala Yojana, besides 35 multi-modal logistics parks." India maintains the world's second-largest network of roads, with National Highways extending approximately 146,000 kilometres, serving as the nation's crucial transport arteries. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
