Defence Stocks India 2023: Top Picks for Growth and Returns

Table of Contents

Today, we will discuss the top 5 Defence stocks that can be a good bet to create wealth for 2023.

India gained independence in 1947, yet it has adversarial neighbors such as China and Pakistan, with whom it has boundary conflicts. India and Pakistan have fought four wars: 1948, 1965, 1971, and 1999/2000, as well as ongoing terrorism in Kashmir. In 1962, India and China clashed. As a result, the Defence sector is critical to India.

The Indian Defence industry is at a crossroads.

The development of India’s Defence and aerospace industries is critical to the country’s strategic independence. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, India is one of the world’s major importers of Defence equipment (SIPRI). Exports have increased sixfold since 2014, and the government continues to support this industry.

With increased indigenization, coercive support, and government assistance, the industry is well-positioned to flourish, supported by the country’s rising Defence budget allocation.

Indian Defence Spending

Defence spending as a proportion of GDP may decline due to a rising trend in GDP growth. Nonetheless, it has always maintained over the 2.5% mark. In absolute terms, expenditure has been growing, signifying more spending. According to 2021 forecasts, India spent over USD 77 billion and has emerged as the world’s third-largest military spender, accounting for approximately 3.6% of global expenditure.

Factors impacting demand for equities in the Defence sector

In recent years, there has been significant economic turbulence, beginning with the Pandemic and continuing with the Russia-Ukraine war. In addition, India was previously an importer of Defence equipment, but the government has strategically decided to acquire replacement items. To date, the government has produced three lists in which they have specified all the things that will be import substitutes.

The Indian government is also supporting Make in India, which promotes India as a manufacturing hub and encourages foreign manufacturers to create in India to take advantage of low labor costs. The government also offers tax breaks and other incentives to encourage investment in this sector.

Top 5 Defence Stocks

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd

Bharat Dynamics Ltd

Data Patterns (India) Ltd

Paras Defence And Space Technologies

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd(HAL) is India’s sole manufacturer of Defence aeronautical equipment. Due to obsolescence and the geopolitical scenario, India is updating its armed forces, which should expedite the acquisition of indigenous military products.

HAL has proved the capacity to produce military aircraft and helicopters, as well as engines and equipment made under license from international OEMs. Obtaining orders from friendly countries also increases its growth prospects.

HAL’s operational performance has improved dramatically over the years, with an EBIDTA CAGR of 12% from FY15 to FY22, compared to a revenue CAGR of 7% during the same period.

HAL’s margins have increased from 12.5% in FY15 to 22.7% in FY22. Overall, cost structure hauling has supported operational success throughout the years.

HAL’s gross margin has increased from 47.3% in FY15 to 59.4% in FY22, while a reduction in fixed costs such as labor costs from 21% in FY15 to 18.6% in FY22 has contributed to an increase in operating margins from 12.5% in FY15 to 22.7% in FY22. Margin improvement has been encouraged as HAL has indigenized technology and built a local supply network, significantly reducing import content.

Bharat Dynamics Ltd

Bharat Dynamics (BDL), India’s principal and exclusive maker of some missiles, is likely to witness a significant increase in the order book as the country places a considerable emphasis on its indigenous missile development. BDL is the Indian Armed Forces’ exclusive provider of Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs), torpedoes, and Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM), as well as refurbishing and life extension.

BDL’s operational performance has improved dramatically over the years, with the company going from an operating deficit of INR 125 million to a profit of INR 7.3 billion in FY22. BDL has increased its margin from -1.2% in FY13 to a peak of 25.8% in FY22.

Overall, cost structure hauling has supported operational success throughout the years. BDL’s gross margin has increased from 36.5% in FY13 to 58.2% in FY22, while a decrease in fixed costs, such as staff costs from 24.1% in FY22 to 20.3% in FY22, has assisted BDL in increasing its operating margin from -1.2% in FY13 to 25.8% in FY22.

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd is principally involved in the construction and repair of ships, submarines, and different types of vessels and is also associated with engineering goods for various local and foreign clients. It was founded in 1934 as a private corporation and was taken over by the Government of India in 1960.

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders’ potential size was previously limited to P75I submarine orders — with opportunistic titles like NGOPV (Navy’s next-generation offshore patrol boats NGOPVs) (Navy Next Generation offshore patrol vessel).

However, management is increasingly forthright about potential prospects in this domain. Mazagon identifies INR 1.6 trillion in opportunities in the short to medium run: NGC (Next Generation Corvette) (INR 330 billion), P75I (INR 430 billion), MDD (INR 500 billion), and a recurrence of P17A. (INR 350 bn). However, in the short to medium term, NGC and P75I will be significant drivers.

Data Patterns (India) Ltd

Data Patterns (India) Ltd is a Chennai-based electronics solution and systems firm with significant interests in the Defence and aerospace sectors. Its expertise is powered by reusable building block models, in which it creates basic modules (“COTS” — Commercial OffTheShelf) used to build systems and subsystems.

At its 100,000-square-foot plant in Chennai, the company produces 1,000+ building blocks and 60+ systems/subsystems products. It has constructed a new, nearby manufacturing plant at INR 1.8 billion.

On December 21, Data Patterns raised INR 6 billion through the IPO method, of which INR 2.4 billion was a new issuance, and the remainder was an offer for sale. The revenues were utilized to prepay and repay certain outstanding borrowings, support working capital requirements, and upgrade and expand the company’s current Chennai facilities. From FY19 to FY22, the company’s EBITDA increased at a 73% CAGR.

PAT increased from INR 210 million in FY20 to INR 939 million in FY22 due to aggressive expansion and improved operations. Gross margin has increased dramatically from 63% in FY19 to 72% in FY22. From FY19 to FY22, the company’s EBITDA increased at a rapid 73% CAGR.

Paras Defence And Space Technologies

Paras Defence and Space Technologies (Paras) is one of India’s premier private sector enterprises in the ‘Indigenously Designed, Developed, and Manufactured’ (“IDDM”) category, catering to several military areas. It is also the exclusive Indian provider of crucial imaging components for space applications such as big-size lenses and diffractive gratings.

Using net revenues from the IPO and internal accruals, the business intends to modernize its manufacturing facilities in Neural, Navy Mumbai, and Ambernath, Thane, by boosting production capacity and installing new machinery.

Paras has controlling ownership in two companies, Paras Aerospace and Paras Anti-Drone.

Management expects these two subsidiaries to supply all drone solutions for various industries, including Defence, agriculture, industrial, and surveillance. Paras aspires to be a one-stop shop for drone platforms, drone payloads, drone management, drone safety, drone services, and anti-drone technologies.

Defence & Space Optics (51% of sales), Defence Electronics (26% of revenue), and Heavy Engineering (23% of revenue) are its three business segments. It develops ultra-high precision optics for Defence and space applications in Defence & Space Optics. Defence Electronics manufactures a wide range of high-performance computing and electrical devices for military purposes.

This segment’s goods include rugged control systems and mounted command and control systems. They produce high-performance, precise mechanical systems for Defence applications in Heavy Engineering. The share price and fundamentals of Paras Defence can be tracked from here.

Now that you have a fair idea about these 5 defence stocks, you can track them by adding them to your watchlist section in the StockEdge App.

To get more detailed analysis and Reports on Stocks, join StockEdge Club by subscribing to our StockEdge plans.

Rationale

In recent years, the Indian government has made significant investments in the Defence sector. Because of India’s relationships with China and Pakistan, the Indian government will continue to invest in these sectors. The government is also developing numerous programs, such as Make in India and Atamanirbhar Bharat, that would aid these companies directly or indirectly.

However, as with such defence stocks, various risks are associated, such as volatility in raw material prices, changes in any government policy, and the size of the order book, which can impact the Company’s performance.

So, we suggest you track these defence stocks on a quarter-on-quarter basis in the upcoming year (2023) and also track and use our Sector Rotation section to make money from the markets. We would also advise consulting your SEBI registered investor as these defence stocks are from small and midcap space, so the risk would be high.