stockaxis

Strides Pharma Science Ltd

Quarterly Result - Q2FY25

Strides Pharma Science Ltd

Pharmaceuticals & Drugs - Global

Current

CMP
Rs. 1561.85
Rating:
Hold
October 24, 2024

Previous

Rating:
Hold

Stock Info

BSE
532531
NSE
STAR
Bloomberg
STR:IN
Reuters
SRID.NS
Sector
Pharmaceuticals & Drugs - Global
Face Value (Rs)
10
Equity Capital (Rs cr)
92
Mkt Cap (Rs cr)
14206.16
52w H/L (Rs)
1675.00 - 467.00
Avg Daily Vol (BSE+NSE)
174,332

Shareholding Pattern

(as on 30-Sep)
%
Promoter
25.84
FIIs
30.08
DIIs
18.24
Public & Others
25.84
Source: Ace equity, stockaxis Research

Price performance

Return (%)
1m
3m
12m
Absolute
10.00
53.05
216.22
Sensex
-5.71
-0.10
25.01
Source: Ace equity, stockaxis Research

Indexed Stock Performance

Strides Pharma Science Ltd Sensex
Strides Pharma Science Ltd
Source: Ace equity, stockaxis Research

Financial Highlights:

Particulars (Rs. in cr) Q2FY25 Q2FY24 YoY (%) Q1FY25 QoQ (%)
Revenue from operations 1201.00 999.00 20.00% 1088.00 10.45%
EBITDA 236.00 153.00 54.00% 217.00 8.68%
EBITDA Margin (%) 19.60% 15.32% 428 bps 20.00% (40 bps)
PAT 94.00 -149.00 - 68.00 37.11%
EPS (Rs.) 10.00 -15.00 - 8.00 32.46%

Source: Company Filings; stockaxis Research

Q2FY25 Result Highlights
Strides Pharma delivered stellar earnings growth for the quarter ended Q2FY25 driven by strong performance in the US and turnaround in Stelis. Consolidated net sales rose 20% YoY to Rs.1201.11 cr boosted by US and branded business in Africa. Gross margins improved 270bps YoY to 61.3% driven by product mix. Consolidated EBITDA witnessed its highest-ever numbers, recording a robust growth of 30% YoY to Rs.218 cr while EBITDA Margins expanded 210 bps at 19.6%. The share of losses from JV stood at INR 118mn in Q1FY25 vs. a loss of INR 329mn in Q1FY25. Strides recorded a PAT of Rs.68 cr against a loss of Rs.150 cr in Q2FY24.

US sales grew 7% QoQ (+26.2% YoY) to USD 75mn with growth driven by relaunching products from the government portfolio acquired from Endo.

Other regulated markets’ revenue increased by 6% YoY (flat QoQ) to Rs.346.4 cr. Growth markets grew 27% YoY to Rs.139.6 cr. Access market sales were down 4% YoY to Rs.84.8 cr.

Segmental highlights

Key Conference call takeaways
Guidance: i) Management expects US business to clock sales between USD 285–300mn in FY25 while other segments shall grow alongside. (ii) Gross margins are likely to range between 59–60% in line with industry standards, supported by better operating leverage and continued free cash flow generation and EBITDA at USD 9.5–10bn in FY25. (iii) It aims to repay Rs.500 cr of debt and bring debt to EBITDA within 2x (2.7x in FY24) (iv) EBITDA is expected to be around Rs.950 crores to Rs.1,000 crores (excluding OneSource this will be 750-800cr), (iv) Management expects 12-15% growth in FY25.

Q2FY25 Overview

  • Revenues grew by 17% in H1Y25, with a confident outlook for achieving guided numbers trending towards the higher end.
  • EBITDA margins displayed superior margin performance at 19.6% during the quarter, in line with the previous quarter, while recording the highest EBITDA margins in the past 12 quarters.
  • ROCE improved to 17.2% from 12.8% in FY24

OneSource (formerly Stelis Biopharma):

  • Annual revenue guidance of $160-180mn.
  • EBITDA guidance of $59-60mn annually, with a quarterly exit rate of $20mn. EBITDA Margin guidance of 34%. EBITDA Margins to hit 40% by Q4FY25.
  • OneSource reported a PAT loss in Q2FY25. Expect to turn PAT positive in Q3 and Q4 as the GLPs get commercialized.

International Markets

  • UK, Australia, and the US are expected to outperform in their respective markets.
  • Continental Europe has been tepid.
  • New markets like Africa, APAC, and MENA (Middle East & North Africa) countries are growing well but are nascent in scale. The management expects these markets to become one of the top-performing markets globally over the medium to long term.

Product Approvals, Launches

  • Teriparatide launch expected in Q4 FY25. Approvals in Europe are in place.
  • Anticipating 5 to 7 GLP-1 products to be commercialized in FY '26, with potential launches in emerging markets following patent expires.
  • Increased commercialized products to 71, with two new product approvals and three from a dormant list identified for relaunch.
  • The company has made investments in new areas, specifically Control Substances Nasal Sprays and 505(b)(2) applications, as part of a long-term strategy that extends beyond the goal of ~$400 million in generics revenue.
  • The company is witnessing an unexpectedly high demand for JLP driven by two main factors: the dosage requirement for pens is twice as high, and some customers miscalculated their volume forecasts, resulting in greater demand than they initially anticipated.

Seasonality

  • The split between H1 and H2 revenue has historically been 45:55.

Debt

  • Net Debt to EBITDA stood at 2.1x, ahead of the FY25 guidance of<=2x. As of 30th September 2024, the net debt of the company stood at Rs. 1902.5cr (Gross Debt: 2215cr)

Business Strategy

  • Focus on New Markets: Emphasis on Africa, APAC, and MENA regions, aiming for better margins with investments in portfolio and operational capabilities.
  • Soft Gelatin Expansion: the company recently completed capacity its expansion. It is adding another 1 bn units of capacity, for which orders have been received already from a top global consumer of soft gel products, and planning for further expansion to meet demand.

R&D
The company is investing in R&D for novel biologics and drug-device combinations, with a focus on maintaining IP confidentiality.

Other key points:
The cash conversion cycle is 126 days as of 30th September 2024.

Outlook & valuation

Strides Pharma delivered another impressive set of numbers for the quarter ended Q2FY25. We believe that The company is well-positioned to benefit from opportunities emerging in the global pharmaceutical market. The company derives a higher share of revenue from regulated markets, especially the U.S. Healthy growth in the base business in the U.S. and a strong product pipeline are expected to fuel the segment’s growth. Strides have a strong product pipeline, which is approved but yet to be commercialized and offers sizeable market opportunities. Moreover, the recent acquisition of the product portfolio from Endo Pharmaceuticals, including commercialized products, would add to the company’s product basket as well as diversify its portfolio across therapies and dosage forms. Growth prospects in other regulated markets are also likely to be better, led by product launches, increased market share, and portfolio optimization/maximization.

The emerging markets segment is expected to gain traction, backed by the likely revival of the institutional business and growth in the African business. The company is expected to continue to outperform in regulated markets, led by new launches like Icosapent and a healthy pipeline like Suprep in the U.S. region and increasing market share in the base portfolio. Further, better performance in Africa branded and the tender business (traction to build up in H2FY25) will also likely boost operating leverage. Management expects the performance to sweeten further in H2FY25 driven by US and access markets, which could also boost margins.

The company aims to launch 60 products in the next three years, which will help it scale up US revenues to USD 400mn. Strides is also working to improve its product offerings in US; from FY26 it aims to start filing for Control Substances Nasal Sprays and 505 (b)(2) products with the USFDA, which should drive growth beyond FY27E.The company maintained its EBITDA towards the higher end, driven by strong traction in the US region due to 1) New product launches in the regulated market 2) no price erosion pressure in the base portfolio, and. The company continues to control costs followed by a healthy product mix, which would aid the company to reach 20% EBITDA guidance by FY2025E. At CMP of Rs.1540, the stock is trading at 21x FY26E. We maintain HOLD rating on the stock.

Consolidated Financial statements

Profit & Loss statement

Particulars (Rs. in cr) Q2FY25 Q2FY24 YoY (%) Q1FY25 QoQ (%)
Revenue from operations 1201.00 999.00 20.00% 1088.00 10.45%
COGS 498.00 418.00 19.00% 420.00 18.43%
Gross Profit 703.00 581.00 21.00% 667.00 5.42%
Gross Margin (%) 58.50% 58.20% 30 bps 61.30% (280 bps)
Employee Benefit expenses 219.00 200.00 10.00% 212.00 3.42%
Other expenses 248.00 228.00 9.00% 238.00 4.23%
EBITDA 236.00 153.00 54.00% 217.00 8.68%
EBITDA Margin (%) 19.60% 15.32% 428 bps 20.00% (40 bps)
Depreciation and amortization expenses 51.00 60.00 -16.00% 49.00 3.97%
EBIT 185.00 93.00 99.00% 168.00 10.03%
Finance cost 82.00 79.00 5.00% 80.00 2.19%
Other Income 28.00 36.00 -21.00% 13.00 123.35%
Profit before exceptional items and tax 132.00 50.00 162.00% 101.00 30.62%
Exceptional items -4.00 -165.00 - -4.00 3.48%
Profit before share of profit/loss of JV 128.00 -115.00 - 97.00 31.65%
Share of loss of joint venture -13.00 -42.00 - -12.00 8.56%
PBT 115.00 -157.00 - 85.00 34.86%
Tax expenses 21.00 -7.00 - 17.00 26.00%
PAT 94.00 -149.00 - 68.00 37.11%
EPS (Rs.) 10.00 -15.00 - 8.00 32.46%