Kansai Nerolac Paints Limited announced its audited standalone and consolidated financial results for the quarter and financial year ended 31st March 2026. The Board of Directors recommended a final dividend of 250% (₹2.50 per share) for FY26, compared to 375% (₹3.75 per share) in FY25. The statutory auditors issued an unmodified audit opinion on the financial results.

Q4 FY26 Standalone Financial Performance

For the quarter ended 31st March 2026, the company reported standalone net revenue from operations of ₹1873.44 Crores, a growth of 7.6% year-on-year. EBITDA stood at ₹215.10 Crores, growing 21.0%, with EBITDA margin improving to 11.48% from 10.28% in the same quarter of the previous year. Profit Before Tax (PBT) before exceptional items was ₹184.73 Crores, up 12.8%. The following table summarises the key standalone quarterly metrics:

Full-Year FY26 Standalone Performance

For the full financial year, standalone net revenue was ₹7739.23 Crores, a growth of 3.2% over the previous year. EBITDA for the year was ₹986.2 Crores, a growth of 1.2%. PBT before exceptional items was ₹898.91 Crores, a de-growth of 0.9%. Standalone net profit after tax stood at ₹619.85 Crores, compared to ₹1021.24 Crores in FY25, which benefited from exceptional gains. The key full-year standalone metrics are:

Consolidated Financial Results

On a consolidated basis, the Group reported revenue from operations of ₹8051.91 Crores for FY26, compared to ₹7822.97 Crores in FY25. For Q4 FY26, consolidated revenue grew 7.5%, EBITDA grew 30.6%, and PBT before exceptional items grew 23.2%. For the full year on a consolidated basis, net revenue grew 2.9%, EBITDA grew 3.4%, and PBT before exceptional items grew 1.4%. Consolidated profit for the period stood at ₹575.84 Crores for FY26, against ₹1109.33 Crores in FY25. Total consolidated assets as of 31st March 2026 stood at ₹8711.11 Crores. The key consolidated full-year metrics are:

Exceptional Items

Exceptional items for FY26 amounted to ₹(60.70) Crores on a standalone basis and ₹(63.15) Crores on a consolidated basis. The breakdown of standalone exceptional items is as follows:

Management Commentary and Segment Performance

During the Q4 FY26 conference call, Managing Director Pravin Chaudhari and Director-Corporate Planning Jason Gonsalves highlighted that the revival in demand seen in Q3 continued in Decorative, driven by new products, Construction Chemicals, Wood finishes and Projects. Industrial demand was robust, led by Automotive, with Performance Coatings also registering strong growth. In the decorative segment, the decorative projects business accounted for over 10% of total sales, while new businesses — including waterproofing, construction chemicals and wood finishes — also contributed over 10% of sales. Management noted that mix improvement was visible across both decorative and industrial segments, with super-premium emulsion products performing well and new product contribution being notably high in Q4. In the industrial segment, the company reported approximately 70% to 75% capacity utilisation in powder and industrial liquid coatings. The 2-and-3-wheeler segment witnessed high double-digit growth, while commercial vehicles and tractors also recorded double-digit demand. Performance Coatings' liquid segment witnessed strong growth, and Powder Coatings showed good recovery with mid-single-digit growth in Q4.

Pricing Actions and Cost Environment

Management highlighted that raw material costs rose sharply during the quarter due to the West Asia crisis and rupee depreciation. In response, the company implemented price increases starting late March, with subsequent hikes on 10th April, 21st April, and 11th May, resulting in a net higher single-digit increase in decorative prices. The company also secured price increases in the automotive segment. Management stated that assuming crude settles at around 100, current price increases should be sufficient. The key pricing and cost actions are summarised below:

Management stated that the company's endeavor is to maintain EBITDA margins in the 13% to 14% range for FY27, assuming raw material prices stabilize. The outlook for demand remains cautiously optimistic, supported by government infrastructure focus and healthy automotive order books, though visibility is subject to the inflationary scenario. The company continues to focus on premiumization and profitable mix over market share at any cost. Management also noted that market share gains were being pursued in a focused manner across T2 and T3 towns pan-India.

Source: None/Company/INE531A01024/46b18ff2b35742ca.pdf

Brokerage firm Investec has upgraded kansai nerolac paints to a Buy rating from its previous Hold stance, while also raising the target price on the stock to ₹250 from ₹240. The upgrade reflects a more constructive outlook on the competitive dynamics within the Indian paints industry.

Upgrade Details

The key parameters of Investec's revised rating are summarised below:

Key Rationale Behind the Upgrade

Investec's upgrade is underpinned by three primary observations regarding the competitive landscape in the paints sector:

• Peak competition is behind: The brokerage sees signs that the most intense phase of competitive pressure in the paints industry has passed.
• Moderating market share pressure: Incumbent players, including Kansai Nerolac Paints, are facing reduced pressure on their market share positions.
• Birla Opus strategy shift: Birla Opus, a relatively newer entrant in the segment, appears to be prioritising loss reduction over aggressive market capture, easing the competitive threat to established players.

These factors collectively suggest a more stable operating environment for Kansai Nerolac Paints, forming the basis of Investec's more favourable assessment of the stock.