While operating profit of the flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group jumped by a little over a fourth to ₹6,196 crore during the quarter, also an all-time high, the net profit remained flat on year at ₹1,370 crore. Adjusted for an exceptional item charge of ₹538 crore, the bottomline rose by two-fifths on year.
In its cellulosic fibres business, the company saw an 8% rise in volumes, but revenue remained flat to subdued realisations. In the chemicals space, while sales volume of caustic soda were at an all-time high during the quarter, revenue slipped because of lower realisations. Profitability, meanwhile, was hit by an oversupply and weak demand for chlorine derivatives.
The company commenced operations in its paints business, Birla Opus, during the quarter and is currently meeting dealers to plan its launch pan-India. It has spent a total of ₹7,063 crore on the business till March 2024, around 70% of the total capital expenditure planned for the business.
Its cement operations are housed under UltraTech Cement, which announced its earnings last month. Aditya Birla Capital, another independently listed company, announced earnings earlier. The financial services arm saw its AUM rise 21% YoY to ₹4.36 lakh crore, while overall lending portfolio was at 1.24 lakh crore as on Mar 31. In 2023-24, consolidated sales rose 11% and were at an all-time high of ₹1.31 lakh crore, while operating profit rose more than 18% on year at ₹20,837 crore.