Public sector lender Bank of Baroda on May 29 posted a loss of Rs 1,046.5 crore for the quarter ended March 2021 despite falling provisions as tax costs hit the balance sheet. However, higher other income and operating profit helped the bank curtail losses for the quarter.
Profit in the year-ago quarter stood at Rs 506.59 crore. The tax cost for the March quarter was at Rs 3,726.07 crore against tax writeback of Rs 2,229.85 crore in the corresponding quarter of last fiscal.
Net interest income, the difference between interest earned and interest expended, grew by 4.5 percent year-on-year to Rs 7,106.62 crore in Q4FY21, with credit growth of 1.83 percent at Rs 7.51 lakh crore and deposit growth of 2.22 percent at Rs 9.66 lakh crore YoY.
The numbers missed analysts’ expectations. Profit was estimated at Rs 1,170.5 crore and net interest income at Rs 7,710.5 crore for the quarter, according to the average of estimates of analysts polled by CNBC-TV18.
Provisions and contingencies fell 46 percent year-on-year to Rs 3,586.03 crore, but the same increased 4.4 percent on a sequential basis for the quarter ended March 2021.
Asset quality improved during the quarter compared to the previous quarter. Gross non-performing assets as a percentage of gross advances and net NPA as a percentage of net advances fell to 8.9 percent and 3.1 percent in Q4FY21 against proforma gross and net NPA at 9.63 percent and 3.36 percent in December 2020 quarter, respectively.
Non-interest income (other income) at Rs 4,848.39 crore surged 71 percent in Q4 compared to the year-ago quarter. Pre-provision operating profit grew by 27.3 percent year-on-year to Rs 6,265.6 crore during the quarter.
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Profit in the financial year 2020-21, the COVID year, increased sharply by 51.83 percent to Rs 829 crore due to lower provisions compared to the previous year. Net interest income during the year at Rs 28,809 crore rose by 4.95 percent over the previous year.
Bank of Baroda said the slippages ratio declined to 2.71 percent as of FY21, against 2.97 percent in FY20, and the credit cost ratio also declined significantly to 1.68 percent from 2.35 percent in the same period.
The slippage ratio for Q4FY21 stood at 6.83 percent, increasing sharply from 2.44 percent in Q3FY21, and credit cost rose by 130 bps to 2.46 percent in Q4FY21 QoQ, the bank added.
Bank of Baroda approved raising of additional capital up to Rs 5,000 crore comprising Rs 2,000 crore of Common Equity Capital by various modes including QIP in suitable stages and Rs 3,000 crore by way of additional Tier I capital/Tier II capital instruments.
