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Monday, February 12, 2007

From the Research Desk


Dishman Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals Limited.

Dishman Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals Limited’s (Dishman) Q3 FY07 results were in line with expectations. Sales recorded a growth of 181% to Rs1.7bn driven by CRAMS which includes the full impact of Carbogen Amcis (CA-sales Rs820mn) for the first time. Sales for EM (Eposartan Mesylate) to Solvay are back on track after a sluggish H1 FY07 and on target to record Rs1bn for FY07. Operating profit margin (OPM) declined by 110bps to 28.2% as CA has lower margins as compared to other business segments of Dishman. Consolidation of CA which has led to higher depreciation and interest outgo restricted PAT growth to 25% to Rs244mn, translating into an annualized EPS of Rs12 on a fully diluted basis.

Post result conference call with the management has further reaffirmed our view that Dishman would be one of the best bets in the growing outsourcing space. Starting with Solvay as its only client in 2003, Dishman has made significant progress in this space, emerging as a preferred supplier for big pharma companies (GSK, Merck, Krka, AZN, Sanofi Aventis). CA business is gaining increasing momentum surpassing its own estimates for CY06. With capacity at Amcis nearing saturation, a few customers have expressed an in principle approval to shift operations to Dishman India. This we believe is a very positive sign for both Dishman and the industry at large as it shows confidence in Dishman’s IPR adherence.

Apart from CRAMS, Dishman has also made significant progress in the Electrolyte QUATs business and has signed a couple of long term contracts with global majors. One contract with Ferro Corporation worth US$6mn annually is progressing smoothly. In addition, Dishman has broadened its top management by appointing a COO and a CFO, which indicates robust growth in the years to come.

We are very positive on Dishman’s CRAMS strategy and believe Dishman will be able to leverage strongly on the relations developed with big pharma companies in CRAMS. At Rs236, the stock is trading at 22.7x FY07E EPS of Rs11 and 14.9x FY08E EPS of Rs16.8. We maintain BUY with a target price of Rs286 based on 17x FY08 earnings.