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Informist. Friday. Apr. 24, 2026

By Afra Abubacker

NEW DELHI – Container Corp. of India Ltd. is expected to report a modest year-on-year rise in net profit for the March quarter as steady growth in domestic volumes is likely to be partly offset by weak realisations and subdued international trade volumes. On a sequential basis, profit is expected to decline due to the war in West Asia disrupting international trade and margin pressures amid intensifying competition, according to analysts. 

The state-owned logistics major's standalone net profit for Jan-Mar is expected to rise 5% on year, but decline 4% from the previous quarter to INR 3.17 billion, according to the average of estimates from six brokerages. The highest estimate for net profit is INR 3.50 billion by Elara Securities (India) Pvt. Ltd. and the lowest is INR 2.92 billion by Equirus Securities Pvt. Ltd. 

Container Corp.'s  revenue is expected to rise 2% on year and 1% on quarter to INR 23.27 billion in the March quarter, according to the average of estimates. The highest estimate for revenue is INR 24.70 billion by Elara Securities and the lowest is INR 22.34 billion by JM Financial Institutional Securities Pvt. Ltd. 

The company had reported a net profit of INR 3.29 billion for the December quarter on revenues of INR 23.02 billion.

On the operational front, Equirus expects domestic volume to grow 16% on-year but cautioned that realisations may decline 17% on year. In the export-import segment, both volumes and realisations are expected to remain flat due to disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict in West Asia. "Consequently, revenues are expected to decline 1% YoY and 2% QoQ," Equirus said. 

Kotak Institutional Equities expects overall volumes to remain largely flat, in line with Indian Railways' container trends. It said pricing pressures have intensified in the domestic market since the second half of the current financial year and in some overseas markets since the December quarter. 

The company's earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation are expected to be at INR 4.88 billion for the March quarter, according to the average of estimates. Elara Securities has projected the highest EBITDA at INR 5.50 billion, while JM Financial has the lowest at INR 4.45 billion.

While Elara flagged continued pressures on realisations and operational bottlenecks in the domestic segment, it expects gradual efficiency gains from improving traction on the Dedicated Freight Corridor over the medium term. 

Container Corp. will announce its March quarter earnings on May 25. Analysts will look for management's commentary on market share trends across regions, capital expenditure plans, provisions for land and licence fees, and demand in key segments such as domestic rail, cement, and container cargo. 

Of the four brokerage reports on the company available with Informist, three have a 'buy' recommendation on the stock, with an average target price of INR 616, up nearly 23% from the current market price. Friday, the company's shares closed at INR 503.80 on the National Stock Exchange, down 0.5% from the previous close. Since reporting its December quarter earnings, the company's shares have fallen 0.4%.

The following are the Jan-Mar earnings estimates for Container Corp. of India from six brokerages in descending order of the estimate of net profit in INR billion:

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IST, or Indian Standard Time, is five-and-a-half hours ahead of GMT

Edited by Saji George Titus

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