Fund managers raise stake in nearly 300 firms, 10 of them double wealth

 Most of the stocks in which fund managers raised stake in the June quarter are from the small & midcap space belonging to chemical and pharma sectors.

Fund managers were quick to spot the beaten-down stocks and raised stake in as many as 287 companies in the June quarter, data from AceEquity showed as on August 13.

Out of 287, there are 10 companies whose stocks have rallied more than 100 percent so far in 2020. These are Aarti Drugs, Laurus Labs, Granules India, Alkyl Amines, Tata Communications, Navin Fluorine, Birlasoft, Aurobindo Pharma, Vaibhav Global and Neuland Laboratories.

Most of the stocks in which fund managers raised stake in the June quarter are from the small & midcap space. After a sharp sell-off in March, the broader market was first to bounce back to show signs of strength.

Most of the companies which have doubled in 2020 belong to either the chemical sector or companies that manufacture API from the pharma space. Both these sectors are likely to benefit most from the COVID-19 pandemic and the government policies.

 “As market started to stabilise after March, investors – foreign and domestic – found good quality, high growth stocks at affordable valuations. Indian government went into a fire-fighting mode to protect the lives and livelihood of citizens, loan moratoriums were announced,” Tejas Khoday, Co-Founder & CEO, FYERS told Moneycontrol.

“Timely approvals from USFDA, decent sales, scarcity of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) boosted the growth prospects of these companies even as India went into lockdown with stringent conditions,” he said.

Khoday further added that among the top 10 outperformers of the quarter, most were from pharma or chemical-related stocks. Tata Communications, Vaibhav Global, Birlasoft were a value play.

(The above table is for reference only and not buy or sell recommendations)

Analysts also pointed out towards rotation trade happening in the June quarter. Fund managers moved out of largecaps in the financials and consumption space towards growth stocks in the small & midcaps space which are likely to see a big turnaround as economy recovers.

“With a lot of large caps rallying back to pre-COVID levels, and a lot of these stocks in sectors like financials and industrials which could see further stress in the future, or a discretionary consumption drought, Siddharth Panjwani, Chief Strategy Officer Pickright Technologies told Moneycontrol.

“MFs have responded by rotating out of them into the more growth oriented sectors with better prospects as seen in the stocks above,” he said.

Decrease in stake:

There are as many as 363 companies in which fund managers reduced their stake in the June quarter, according to data collated from AceEquity. Out of 363 companies, 4 more than doubles investors' wealth so far in the year 2020.

Stocks which more than doubles investors’ wealth include names like GMM Pfaudler, Mcleod Russel, Astec Lifesciences, and Dixon Technologies. Most of the companies have been hitting a fresh record high in August as well.

While MF buying and selling is a good signal, this information is also dated and might not reflect what the fund manager is doing in real-time, suggest experts. Also, sometimes fund managers adjust the portfolio to manage risk amid high valuations.

“Except for companies belonging to the Chemical and Pharma sector where we can see exponential growth in the medium to long term valuations of most of these stocks looks stretched and it will be advisable to book profits,” Atish Matlawala, Sr Analyst, SSJ Finance & Securities told Moneycontrol.

There are as many as 24 stocks in which fund managers reduced their stake rose more than 50 percent so far in the year 2020 that include names like Amber Enterprises, Essel Propack, Jubilant Lifesciences, Cipla, JB Chemicals, Escorts, Ipca Laboratories, and Alembic Pharma.

(The above table is for reference only and not buy or sell recommendations)

Most of the stocks belong to the chemicals, infra as well as pharma space which have benefitted immensely from the Atmanirbhar schemes, as well as the outbreak of COVID.

Experts are of the view that fund managers preferred to book some profits in some and deployed the cash in those sectors which will bounce back as and when the economy recovers.

“A quick glance of these 364 stocks reveals that the stocks are part of a sectoral move and belong to pharma, agro and specialty chemicals, consumption-related sectors. Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhyan and lockdowns have provided the necessary impetus to many of these stocks,” says Khoday of FYERS.

“As lockdowns end and economy starts opening up fully, companies from other sectors which are undervalued or are fairly valued could get preference. Hence, investors would be interested in booking partial profits or retrieve their initial capital, which could be deployed in value offering stocks,” he said.

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com/SD Solutions advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.