Company Profile
Schneider Electric Infrastructure Ltd., (SEIL) was incorporated in 2011 and is engaged in the manufacturing, designing, building and servicing of technologically advanced products and systems for the electricity network. The product portfolio of the company includes Transformers, Power Transformers, Switchgears (Primary & Secondary Switchgears), Medium Voltage Switchgear, Protection Relays, Differential Relay, Electricity distribution management systems, a software suite for self-healing smart grid, e-House & smart cities applications. It serves multiple industries such as Power Generation, Transmission & Distribution, Oil & Gas, Metro, MMM (Metals, Minerals & Mining industry) and other Electro Intensive segments, etc. The company has 4 manufacturing facilities at 3 locations: Vadodara (2 units), Kolkata (1 unit) and Chennai (1 unit).
Investment Rationale
· Strong Order book provides revenue visibility
The order inflow during the quarter and for the full year too notched up higher at 10.6% and 10.3%. Management indicated that there has been good momentum in orders across all segments including its emerging segments. The overall order backlog improved 15% YoY for FY23 providing healthy revenue visibility.
Major orders and repeat business from customers in Nepal, Cloud & Services Providers, glass manufacturing, food and beverage, and cement. OG (outside group) order intake for the quarter is higher by 6.7% and year-to-date order intake is up 10%. On an aggregate basis, the company witnessed a 10% growth in the order book in FY23.Under Control & Monitoring System (Edge Control) and Software & Digital Services (SaaS), the company witnessed 20% & 50% YoY growth respectively.
· New order wins in FY23
In FY23 the company’s financial performance witnessed tremendous growth on account of ‘Order Wins’ across all core segments. Under Power & Grid industry segment the industry’s demand was seamless integration with customer SCADA Uninterrupted power supply for major residential & commercial areas on account of this the company received repeat orders from end users resulting in the highest RMU installed base.
Similarly, under the Metals, Minerals & Mining industry segment demand surged on account of the Optimized Power Distribution System with future scalability and Seamless Integration with Plant SCADA. The company had an edge over its peers to fulfil the challenges by providing solutions like Pix ROF Panels with EasergyMicom Relays & PM Meters ENSET Panel with Wireless thermal sensors. This resulted in robust power distribution infrastructure with enhanced safety, reliability & connectivity Seamless integration of Relays and Meters with customer plant SCADA.
In the Transportation industry segment demand surged on account of Stringent Delivery timelines and Smooth Coordination between the SCADA Vendor and GIS Panel vendor and companies growth is dependent on preference for the upcoming 7 similar corridors planned to be executed till 2032 (~3000 MINR).
Consequently, in Cloud & Service Provider industry segment demand from customers is dependent on the HMI communication architecture required for Faster Delivery and SEIL is the successful implementation of a control & monitoring system (Ecostruxure Edge Control) for the 1st time in DC.
· Capitalising Growth on 'Digital Customer Experience'
The company's growth is dependent on three major factors (a) Build (b) Operate and (c) Maintain. For this company SEIL focuses to work on (a) Natively connected equipment (b) Edge control system and (c) Digital Services (SaaS) & Software. It is focusing on its Digitizing journey, maximising business continuity and Optimising maintenance operations.
· Accelerating growth in emerging segments
SEIL is focusing on emerging segments such as EV charging and E-Mobility, Cloud & Services Providers, and Renewables. Schneider Electric's main play in EV charging infrastructure is packet substations, medium and low voltage equipment, and grid management software. SEIL is also focusing on opportunities in the renewable and clean energy sectors, specifically in supplying power equipment for grid digitization and management, and for green hydrogen projects. Additionally, the company is focusing on high-growth segments to offset low-growth drivers and achieve strong balanced growth in the overall financial performance of the company.
Financial Analysis
Past Five-Year Financial Analysis (FY18-FY23)
The five-year Revenue and PAT CAGR of the company are at 6% & 30% respectively. In FY23 the company's revenue stood at Rs 1777 crores, increased by 16% on a YoY basis. EBITDA for the year was Rs 168 crores, increased by 95% on account of softening in raw material prices and employee costs by 300 bps and 100 bps respectively. EBITDA margins of the company are 9%, increased by 300bps as compared to FY22. PAT for the year was Rs 124 crores, increased by 343% on account of higher operating margins and an Other Income gain of Rs 28 crores (4x increase as compared to FY22).
Q4 FY23 Analysis
For the quarter ended 31st March 2023, the revenue of the company was Rs 411 crores, increased by 21% on a YoY basis. EBITDA for the quarter was at Rs 61 crores, increased by 259% on a YoY basis. EBITDA margins for the quarter were at 15%, increased by 1000 bps on a YoY basis. PAT for the year was Rs 45 crores.
Risk & Concerns
· Competitive Intensity
SEIL operates in a highly competitive industry and faces competition from both global and domestic players along with organised and unorganised players. The technological advancements are very significant for the company in order to ramp up its growth.
· Capex requirements
SEIL requires consistent investments in order to increase the innovation in its products to serve the customer demands and provide viable solutions to the challenges portrayed by multiple industries.
Outlook & Valuation
The company witnessed tremendous growth in FY23, as compared to FY22. Management remains positive on the business outlook across its traditional (Power & Grid, Metals, Minerals & mining and Transportation) and emerging segments (E-Mobility, Industry & Building ,cloud & service provider and renewables) providing more avenues for digitization and expects momentum to continue as core data improves which reflects on the overall business it operates in. In its emerging segments like Industry & Building there has been traction in energy Storage, specialty Chemicals, fertilizers industry, Defense and Industrial Expansion in Food & Beverage where SEIL expects opportunities. Further on Cloud & Service Provider opportunities across increasing cloud adoption supported by 5G.
SEIL's strong growth trajectory is associated with high demand arising within the industries where the company serves its services and we anticipate this growth to continue on increasing demand from these sectors. Additionally, the company has adequate digitalization opportunities, with a strong position across core segments. Overall, we remain positive about the growth of the company.
At a CMP of Rs 223, the stock is trading at a PE of 43x its FY23 earnings.
We recommend a 'BUY' rating for the stock.