By Aditya Raghunath
Investing.com -- Graphite India shares closed at Rs. 254.9 on November 23, up around 41% from Rs. 170 on November 17. The stock has experienced a tremendous rally in the last four days. So have shares of another graphite company: HEG (NS:HEGL) which is trading at Rs. 817, up over 16% from its November 17 close of Rs. 703.
It isn’t as if Graphite has had a stellar second quarter in fiscal 2020-21. It reported a net loss of Rs. 41 crore compared to a profit of Rs. 185 crore in the same period last fiscal. Net sales have also declined by 45% to Rs. 485 crore this quarter.
Graphite India (NS:GRPH) is the largest Indian producer of graphite electrodes and its products are used in electric-arc furnaces that are used to produce steel. As economic activity around the world resumes, graphite inventories will start coming down and graphite prices will start going up. That is the basis for which stock prices of both companies have gone up. There are initial signs of this theory coming true. Quarter-on-quarter, Graphite India’s sales figures have gone up by 19% and HEG’s has increased by 38%.
Brokerages had a HOLD rating for Graphite with a target of Rs. 185. Clearly, that is no longer applicable.