Amara Raja Batteries Q4 net up 2 per cent at Rs 60 crore

Amara Raja Batteries today reported a 2.2 per cent increase in profit after tax (PAT) at Rs 59.6 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2013.

The company had posted a PAT of Rs 58.3 crore in the corresponding period last year, Amara Raja Batteries said in a statement.

The net sales during the quarter also went up by 19.2 per cent to Rs 801.1 crore from Rs 672 crore in the year-ago period, it added.

For the entire 2012-13 financial year ended March 31, 2013, the company's PAT rose by 33.3 per cent to Rs 286.7 crore from Rs 215.1 crore in the previous fiscal, the statement said.

The net sales during last fiscal stood at Rs 2,961.4 crore compared to Rs 2,364.5 crore in FY12, up 25.2 per cent.

In its meeting, the board of directors recommended a dividend of Rs 2.52 per share of face value of Re 1 each.

Commenting on the numbers, Amara Raja Batteries vice-chairman and managind director Jayadev Galla said: "We are pleased to report yet another highest ever sales and profit for the company for the financial year 2012-13, regardless of supply constraints and slowdown in the automobile industry."

Both the industrial and automotive battery units have reported double-digit revenue growth and gained market shares, he added.

"We remain cautiously optimistic of the company's performance in the coming year against the back drop of continuing uncertainty in macro-economic condition, escalating costs and probable supply constraints.

"However, our ability to anticipate and perform with distinct approach will help us to sustain the growth momentum in near future and in the long run," Galla said.

Shares of Amara Raja Batteries were trading 5.38 per cent down at Rs 264.85 apiece on the BSE at 2.45 pm while the Sensex was up 0.19 per cent.