Arvind Mills gains on demerger buzz

Arvind Mills gained 4.64% to Rs 55.30 at 12:53 IST on BSE, on reports the company plans to hive off its retail and branded segments into two separate companies.

Meanwhile, BSE Sensex was down 41.98 points or 0.23% to 18,097.51.

On BSE, 25.34 lakh shares were traded in the counter. The scrip had an average daily volume of 26.37 lakh shares in the past one quarter.

The stock hit a high of Rs 56.90 and a low of Rs 53.70 so far during the day. The stock had a 52-week high of Rs 93.50 on 31 December 2007 and a 52-week low of Rs 35 on 22 January 2008.

The small-cap scrip had underperformed the market over the past one month till 6 February 2008, declining 36.86% compared to the Sensex's decline of 13.10%. It had also underperformed the market in the past one quarter, declining 23.24% compared to Sensex's decline of 4.82%.

The company's current equity is Rs 209.38 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10.

The current price of Rs 55.30 discounts its Q3 December 2007 annualized EPS of Rs 1.08, by a PE multiple of 51.20.

Arvind Mills undertakes retailing through its unit Mega Mart whereas its brands segment comes under Arvind Brands. The company also intends to list the two companies in due course, reports suggest.

Arvind Mills net profit declined 94.6% to 5.67 crore on 19.9% growth in net sales to Rs 536.84 crore in Q3 December 2007 over Q3 December 2006.

Arvind Mills is one of the leading textile manufacturers in the country. It owns various brands like Flying Machine, Newport and Ruf & Tuf jeans and Excalibur shirts. The company services the entire domestic market besides exporting to neighboring countries.