Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) on May 7 reported an 8.7 percent sequential growth in the March quarter profit at Rs 3,180 crore, beating estimates. Net interest income (NII) fell 0.1 percent to Rs 4,065 crore in Q4FY21 from Rs 4,068 crore in the previous quarter.
The lender’s year-on-year growth in profit was partly supported by a sharp fall (43.6 percent) in impairment on financial instruments (expected credit loss) but sequentially, it increased 21 percent and had a partial impact on profitability. The fall in NII also dented profitability on QoQ basis.
Housing Development Finance Corporation said the board of directors recommended a dividend of Rs 23 per equity share for the financial year 2020-21.
After providing for tax of Rs 744 crore, the profit growth was at 42 percent compared to the year-ago quarter, HDFC said, adding the net interest income grew by 14 percent YoY, and inclusive of fees and income from assigned loans, the NII for the quarter stood at Rs 4,532 crore compared to Rs 3,846 crore in the previous year, a growth of 18 percent.
Since April 2021, India has been witnessing an eruption of a second wave of coronavirus infections. “At this juncture, there continues to be a great deal of uncertainty on the duration and intensity of the second wave and the resultant impact it may have on the Corporation and the overall economy,” HDFC said.
Profit was estimated at Rs 2,816 crore and net interest income at Rs 4,028.6 crore for the quarter, according to the average of estimates of analysts polled by CNBC-TV18.
On the asset quality front, HDFC said gross non-performing assets (NPA) as a percentage of gross advances increased 7 bps sequentially to 1.98 percent in the quarter ended March 2021.
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“Individual gross NPA increased to 0.99 percent from 0.98 percent and non-individual gross NPA climbed to 4.77 percent from 4.35 percent in the same period QoQ,” the company added.
The overall collection efficiency ratios for individual loans improved to near pre-COVID levels. “The collection efficiency for individual loans in the month of March 2021 stood at 98.0 percent compared to 96.3 percent in the month of September 2020.”
As per regulatory norms, the gross non-performing loans as of March 2021 stood at Rs 9,759 crore, which is equivalent to 1.98 percent of the loan portfolio, said the housing finance company said.
“The Corporation is required to carry a total provision of Rs 5,491 crore. The regulatory provisioning for non-performing loans is determined solely on the period of default,” it said.
In the year FY21, profit after tax at Rs 12,027.3 crore declined 32.3 percent, and the pure NII grew by 18 percent to Rs 15,172 crore compared to the previous year.
But, the profit numbers for the year are not comparable with that of the previous year, as the company recorded a fair value gain consequent to the merger of GRUH Finance with Bandhan Bank amounting to Rs 9,020 crore and due to profit on sale of investments, which was lower at Rs 1,398 crore during the year compared to Rs 3,524 crore in the previous year, it said.
Further, dividend income received during the year was lower at Rs 734 crore (no dividends were received from HDFC Bank and HDFC Life Insurance Company) as compared to Rs 1,081 crore in the previous year.
In the first half of the year under review, the regulators for banks and insurance companies did not permit payment of dividends from the profits pertaining to the financial year ended March 2020 owing to uncertainties due to COVID-19, it reasoned.
The average size of individual loans disbursed during the year stood at Rs 29.5 lakh compared to Rs 27 lakh in the previous year. There was an uptick in the average ticket size during the quarter ended March 2021 to Rs 31.4 lakh, attributable to the demand for higher-end properties, especially in the metro cities, said the company said.
As on March 2021, the loans on assets under management (AUM) basis stood at Rs 5,69,894 crore, growing 10.3 percent compared to Rs 5,16,773 crore in the previous year. “The individual loans comprised 77 percent of the AUM. The individual loan book on an AUM basis grew 12 percent and the non-individual loan book grew by 4 percent.”
“The board also approved the appointment of Keki Mistry as Managing Director for three years, and the issuance of non-convertible debentures (NCDs) of upto Rs 1.25 lakh crore on a private placement basis,” the corporation added.
The stock gained momentum after the earnings announcement and it ended 2.52 percent higher at Rs 2,491.35 on the BSE .
