Deepak Builders & Engineers IPO closes for subscription tomorrow. Here's all you need to know

The Rs 260.04 crore IPO of Deepak Builders and Engineers, which went live yesterday, received a thumping response from retail investors, who oversubscribed to the issue by 16x. In effect, retail investors bid for 7,20,24,282 shares as opposed to 44,83,500 shares, or 35% of the issue that is reserved for them.

The issue, worth Rs 260.04 crore, is a combination of a fresh issue of about Rs 217.21 crore and an OFS (offer for sale) of Rs 42.83 crore. With a price band of Rs 192-203, the company will list on the bourses on Monday, October 28, 2024, with allotment finalization happening on Thursday, October 24, 2024.

Retail investors can bid for a minimum of 1 lot, which consists of 73 shares. The minimum required investment to participate in this IPO is Rs 14,819, while the maximum is Rs 1,92,647.

The company's last traded GMP (grey market premium) today was Rs 61. This takes its estimated listing price to Rs 264, and the expected listing gains at 30.05% per share.

Should you invest?

The company has a strong presence in northern India, with multiple projects across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, and Delhi. The company currently oversees twelve ongoing projects, including seven EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) projects and five contracts based on item or percentage rates.

As of June 30, 2024, the company’s order book totals Rs 13,803.89 million for FY 2024, up from Rs 11,126.88 million for FY23. The company's revenue from operations also went up from Rs 3,630.52 million in FY22 to Rs 5,114.02 million in FY24. Consequently, its PAT (profit after tax) jumped to Rs 604.1 million in FY24, up from Rs 213.95 million in FY23 and Rs 176.79 million in FY22.

Its EPS (earnings per share), considered a reliable measure of profitability, also inched up substantially from 4.92 in FY22 to 16.84 in FY24. Per the company's prospectus, proceeds from the IPO will be used to repay borrowings, meet working capital requirements, and for other general corporate purposes.

Financial analysts have recommended subscribing to the IPO for long-term investment, citing the company's steady financial growth over the past few years. However, the issue is not without its share of risks. For instance, most of the company's projects are concentrated in Punjab. As of June 30, 2024, about 33.02% of the company's revenue from operations came from Punjab-based projects.

Moreover, the company's finances have seen meteoric growth over the past few years, raising questions about its sustained continuity. While its EBITDA margin increased from 12.20% in FY 2023 to 22.98% in FY 2024 and 29.92% during the three-month period ended June 30, 2024. Similarly, their profit after tax margin increased from 4.94% in FY2023 to 11.81% in FY 2024 and 13.52% during the three-month period ended June 30, 2024. It

Despite these concerns, Bajaj Broking and Anand Rathi's research both recommended subscribing to this IPO.

"The company has a diversified project portfolio, which reduces its reliance on a single market segment. As of June 2024, the company has some litigations towards projects amounting to Rs 884 million (6% of the total order book). We believe that the liability of this should not impact the going concern of the company's profitability. With a strong order book, Deepak Builders has growth potential visibility in the infrastructure sector, which aligns them with government initiatives. At the upper price band, the company is valued at a P/E of 15.6x with a market cap of Rs 9,455 million post-issue of equity shares and a return on net worth of 52.9%. On the valuation front, we believe that the company is fairly priced. Thus, we recommend a “SUBSCRIBE” rating to the IPO," noted Anand Rathi.