GuruFocus - Release Date: November 14, 2024
For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.
Positive Points
- Muthoot Finance Ltd (NS:MUTT) (BOM:533398) reported a robust 28% year-on-year growth in its standalone assets under management (AUM), reaching 90,000 crores.
- The company's consolidated AUM crossed the significant milestone of one lakh crores, indicating strong business expansion.
- Standalone profit after tax grew by 18% year-on-year, reflecting improved profitability.
- The gold loan portfolio grew by 18% to 13,285 crores, showcasing strong demand and effective market penetration.
- The company has increased its guidance for gold loan growth from 15% to 25% for the financial year 2025, indicating confidence in continued growth.
- The company's non-performing assets (NPAs) have increased, with gold loan NPAs rising from 3,002 crores to 3,686 crores.
- There is a notable increase in NPAs in the non-gold loan segment, which rose from 90 crores to 193 crores.
- The cost of borrowing remains high at around 9%, which could impact future profitability if not managed.
- The competitive landscape is intensifying with the return of a major competitor, which may affect market share and pricing strategies.
- The company's credit costs have been elevated, with provisions for expected credit losses impacting financial performance.
A: The auction number for this quarter is 250 crores, and for the first quarter, it was 69 crores, totaling around 320 crores for the first half. Last year, the auction number was significantly lower at 347 crores for the entire year.
Q: Can you explain your auction policy and how much time you allow customers before auctioning their gold?
A: Our policy is to help the customer and avoid auctioning their gold. We allow more time if the customer requests it and if we are in the money. Typically, we try to avoid auctions for up to 12 months, provided the customer is genuine and requests more time.
Q: With a competitor back in the market, have you seen any changes in your business or competitive intensity?
A: We don't focus on any particular competitor. Competition is expected in a business with growth potential. We have not observed any significant changes in competitive intensity recently.
Q: How do you manage the risk of LTV (Loan-to-Value) exceeding regulatory limits during the loan tenure?
A: The 75% LTV requirement is at the time of origination. We comply with this regulation. If the LTV exceeds during the tenure, we ensure we are in the money and accommodate the customer if they request more time.
Q: What is the outlook on credit costs given the regulatory environment and your auction policy?
A: Our credit costs are not expected to increase significantly as we are in the money with our loans. We have provisions in place, and our guidance for gold loan growth has been increased from 15% to 25% due to positive economic indicators and demand.
For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.