Speciality Restaurants is coming out with its IPO plans to raise about Rs 171-181 crore and this issue is open for subscription from May 16 to May 18. Speciality Restaurants is the owner of restaurant brands such as Mainland China, Sigree, Machaan and Oh!Calcutta among others.

The company plans to use the proceeds of IPO for developing new restaurants and partial repayment of debt. About 80 per cent of the proceeds (Rs 131 crore) would be used for the development of 45 new restaurants.
 
Issue Details:

Issue Open: May 16, 2012 - May 18, 2012.
Issue Size: 11,739,415 Equity Shares of Rs. 10.
Issue Price: Rs. 146 - Rs. 155 Per Equity Share.
Market Lot: 40 Shares.
Listing At: BSE, NSE.

Fundamentals:

For the fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 the company  reported an EPS of  3.92 and 5.48 respectively .  For the full year 2012, the EPS could be around Rs.4.25 and at the upper band, the IPO is done at 36 times the 2012 earnings. The book value of the company stands at Rs.32 for the reported year 2011 and the issue is being done at 5 times the book value. The company is growing at 30% and considering the appetite for such companies in food industries segment, the issue is worth  looking at. The only deterrent is the weak market condition and over pricing of the issue, in such market conditions. The company might do well post-listing, if not immediately.

Could be another Jubilant Foods ? Let's wait and watch.

What is Dividend Yield?

Dividends are payments made by a company to their shareholders and these payments are paid out of the profits made during the year. Dividend yields are returns from dividends, which can be calculated by dividing the dividend per share by the current market price of the stock. For e.g., a company quoting at 200, declares a dividend of 10, the dividend yield works out to 5%. High dividend yield stocks are for those investors who are looking for regular income as well as capital appreciation over a longer period of time.

These stocks can be picked up during market down trend or when market trend is not clear. In a downtrend, dividend yields of such companies goes up as the stock prices fall. Before investing in companies that provide high dividend yields, care to be taken that these companies have sound fundamentals, regular dividend paying and  enjoy healthy cash flows. We have picked few stocks which have high dividend yields in the range of 6-9% and with a low P/E ratio. Though the earnings growth of these companies may not be among the highest in the industry, they manage to deliver good results across business and economic cycles. During this time of the year, the companies declare their annual results and dividends. Hence, before investing in these companies, watch out for their annual results and performances as well.




The stocks that are picked have been limited to CNX 500 Index and of course, there are few other stocks outside this index with better yields also. While investing in the above stocks, an investor should limit their exposure to about 15-20% of their portfolio, since dividend-investing alone should not be anyone's investing strategy. If you find any other such high dividend yielding stock which might have missed our attention, please inform us or post them in the comment section.

If you were hiking in the mountains and stopped in a small river for a drink only to look up and see a bear charging at you, what would you do? Our instinctual reaction in a life-threatening situation, such as being charged by a bear, is to run. But wilderness experts will tell you that instead of running from a bear, you should curl into a small ball.

The moral of the story is that you can’t outrun a bear. And the same is true of metaphoric bears — a bear market, for example.

Anyone who has invested in the past decade, and especially in the past five years, has seen what finance people call a "bear market". What is a bear market? In the most basic terms, it is exactly what it sounds like: a confluence of unfortunate factors that make the stock market a terrible, scary place to be, especially for inexperienced investors.

Our instinctual response to a bear markets is the same as our reaction to a live bear — we want to run. We want to scramble and get out as soon as possible to protect our investments. The thing about a bear market, though, is that it is a natural period of decline. Inevitably, after a period of large gains, the market will sink. Here are three ways to handle a bear market and come out with all your limbs intact:

1. Don’t run. Just as with real bears, trying to run away from a bear market by selling out and transferring your assets into a cash market will generally yield worse results than just staying put. In fact, by trying to run, you only lock in your losses. Volatility in built into the market system, so you can’t let a bad spell shake your faith. If the market is down, the damage is already done to your investments, so don’t make it worse by jumping ship. Instead, plan for the troughs by taking a long-term approach. If you do this, you’ll be in an optimal position to ride the wave back to a prospering market when it recovers.

2. Take stock. One way to take a long-term approach is to review your asset allocation when the market is down and readjusting the mix based on your risk tolerance. Wise investors will tell you that you should be re-balancing your portfolio at least once a year anyway, regardless of how the market is doing.

3. Be consistent. It’s very important to stay the course, even when the market is down. Typically this means that you should continue to add to your portfolio as you would when the market is up. This strategy is called dollar-cost-averaging — if you have a set amount of money you invest each month, buying more when prices are low and less when prices are high, the average price per share you’ll pay will be less expensive than the standard average share price.

Timing the market is as difficult and futile as running from a bear. So curl up, and wait for the bear to drop you, and you’ll be likely to outperform others who try to run.

By-line:
Alvina Lopez is a freelance writer and blog junkie, who blogs about accredited online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alvina.lopez at gmail dot com.

National Buildings Construction Corporation NBCC is coming out with an IPO of 12,000,000 Equity Shares of Rs. 10 each by way of an offer for sale of Equity shares by GOI. The company, started in 1960, is one of the few public sector companies engaged in the business of (i) project management consultancy services for civil construction projects (PMC) (ii) civil infrastructure for power sector and (iii) real estate development.

The company is headquartered in New Delhi and in addition has 10 regional / zonal offices across India. The projects undertaken by the Company are spread across 23 states and 1 union territory in India.

Issue Details:

Issue Open: Mar 22 - Mar 27, 2012.
Issue Size: 12,000,000 Equity Shares of Rs. 10.
Issue Price: Rs.90-Rs.106.
Listing At: BSE, NSE.
CARE Rating: 4 indicating above average fundamentals.
A Discount of 5 % on the Offer Price shall be offered to Retail Bidders and Employees.

Positives of the company:

1.Established brand name and reputation.
2.Operations in diverse sectors with strong Order Book position.
3.Qualified and experienced management.
4.Significant experience and track record.
5.Vast Industry knowledge and technical expertise.

Key Risks:

1.The company's revenues are significantly dependent on our PMC business. Any decline in PMC business, could adversely affect the company's business prospects, financial condition and results of operations.
2.Certain board of directors are involved in a number of legal proceedings, which may adversely impact the company's business reputation.
3.There could be cyclical risks associated with this industry.

NBCC IPO Price:

The EPS for the year ended March 31, 2011 is Rs.11.71 and latest EPS is  Rs.15. The book value stands at Rs. 72 and the issue is being offered at 1.5 times the book value. At the higher end of the offer price band of  Rs.90-Rs.106 , the P/E ratio is 7 times, where most of the infra and construction companies are available. Currently, similar companies under the sector are reeling under pressure and going by the current scenario the issue is an above average one. Though the sector offers substantial growth, the company itself growing at 20%, there are concerns and risk factors which could affect the company's earnings. At the indicative offer price, the issue is better for long-term investors only and for traders who want to sell on listing, it could be a tricky one.

Goldman Sachs is a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm that provides a wide range of services worldwide to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and high-net-worth individuals.

With effect from 14th July 2011, Benchmark Asset Management Company Private Limited (BAMC) and Benchmark Trustee Company Private Limited (BTC) are a part of the Goldman Sachs group. Subsequent to this acquisition, all the schemes of Benchmark Mutual Fund will be renamed. Benchmark Mutual Fund has 13 schemes in operation currently.

The popular ETFs of Benchmark Fund - Gold Bees and Nifty Bees would be renamed as GS Gold Bees and GS Nifty Bees. Hence investors need not worry too much since change in the name of the schemes will not result in any change in the basic characteristics and fundamental attributes of the schemes.

The name changes of other schemes are available here. Also during trading hours one can get the live/real time NAV of Gold Bees and Nifty Bees here.

The Sensex didn't perform as well in 2010 as it did in 2009. In 2009 the Sensex returns was 77% and in 2010 it was just about 18%. But some of the individual sectors performed better than the benchmark index. The top sectoral perpformances came from the consumer durables with a spectacular 64% return, followed by the auto sector and the healthcare sector which posted an impressive 33% returns each.The biggest loser was the realty sector,down about 25% and the power sector fell by 7%.

So, going forward, what is the outlook for equity markets and other investing opportunities in 2011? One of the most important things to look at for 2011 is where to invest. Should one choose Stocks, Bank FDs or Commodities like precious metals?


Equities: There is no doubt markets are fairly valued on FY11 Sensex EPS numbers and Investors entering at current levels have not big upside left. But for a longer time horizon , there is for scope for making gains, based on FY12 numbers. The Sensex EPS estimates are between 1250-1290, based on various brokerage estimates. Based on 5 year average P/E for Indian markets, the Sensex has targets of about 21250-21900. Hence,investors can enter only on corrections to buy fundamentally sound large and mid cap stocks and the sectors to watch out are Banking, Capital goods,Midcap IT and Metals. So one has to be very stock specific to make better returns than the index. Keep watching the Stock Watch section for more stock specific updates.

Fixed Income: Fixed Income returns are to become more robust. The last few years' return in fixed income assets has barely been able to match inflation. But this is set to change, since interest rates are on the rise and Bank FD rates ( 9 to 9.5% p.a) reflecting the same. Hence one can expect higher returns in Bank FDs than the past couple of years.

Gold and Silver: While the stocks have gone up reasonably, the precious metals - gold and silver - have massively outperformed them.However, will silver and gold continue to outperform stocks like it has done in the previous year? It is most likely will continue to do well but Gold unlike other investments acts as an insurance policy against inflation.Hence 10-15% is the maximum exposure one could have exposure to Gold and Silver and not go overboard on this.

Hence, investors can take cue from the above mentioned points and depending upon their risk profile thye should take their decisions.

Be a wise investor !

A2Z Maintenance & Engineering Services is coming out with an IPO of Rs.10 each in the price band of Rs.400-Rs.410. The company is an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company providing services to the power transmission and distribution sector. The company is also involved in other businesses like Renewable Energy Generation business and Waste management services. Other businesses include developing information technology solutions for power utilities business and providing facility management services.

The main objective of the issue is for Investment in biomass-based power cogeneration projects in the States of Punjab and Rajasthan and working capital requirements.

Issue Details:

Issue Open: Dec 08, 2010 - Dec 10, 2010.
Issue Size: Equity Shares of Rs. 10.
Issue Size: Rs. 675.00 Crore.
Issue Price: Rs. 400 - Rs. 410 Per Equity Share
Market Lot: 15 Shares.
Listing at NSE and BSE.

Fundamental Details:

The company has the following principal competitive strengths:

1.Ability to identify new business opportunities and scale businesses in high growth sectors.
2.Proven project execution capabilities and demonstrated track record.
3.In-house engineering capabilities and strong quality management systems.
4.Qualified and experienced management and motivated employee base.

For the year 2010, the company's EPS stands at Rs.18 and some of the peer group companies like ABB, L&T, KEC trade anywhere in the wide range of 15 to 30 times. The offer price of Rs.400-410 offers good opportunity for long term investors to invest in a well diversified company which is growing at a healthy rate of 30%.

Currently, Indian Capital Markets swinging to the tunes of Global markets & Scams and the Sensex is trading between 19k and 20k, after hitting a 3 year high of 21k a month ago. What does this all mean to an individual investor and what should he do at this point of time - buy, sell or hold?

Before we come to any conclusions, let us check out some of recent happenings in and around us. Recently markets have been hit with many scams, some of them directly impacting the markets, like the housing loans and Global events like European crisis, Korean shoot outs and other similar events. These events are causing substantial swings in the markets and the much talked about US Fed’s QE2 program is not having much impact, either.

Currently Sensex at 20k, trading at 17.1 x FY11E EPS and 14.6X FY12E EPS, which is at fair valuations. The strong FII inflows and strong earnings growth are providing support to the Indian markets' valuations at 15-18 x  FY12E EPS, above its 12-15x historical range, which would mean the Sensex in the range of 15-16k.The P/E expansion in multiples could be led by (1) continued strong FII inflows, (2) positive macro-economic outlook and (3) strong earnings growth, which could lead the markets higher.

To sum up, there is no doubt that the markets are at fair valuations, but the factors mentioned above could take the markets further up. Hence, existing investors could hold and ride the wave and anyone who wants to enter now, can participate in the current rally by taking the SIP method of investing in mutual funds.New investments and big ticket investments could be made only when sensex is available around historical range mentioned above.

After all investing is not that easy,  isn't it?

The international derivatives exchange EUREX, jointly operated by Deutsche Bourse AG and SIX Swiss Exchange, organizes markets globally. Since 2007, Deutsche Bourse holds a five percent stake in the Bombay Stock Exchange. EUREX is home to the Euro zone interest rate and equity index benchmark derivatives.

EUREX will be the first exchange to launch Indian equity index futures and options outside India. Offering futures and options on one single platform allows market participants to use combined trading strategies (for example volatility trades) and permits cross margining between the two contracts.

With the launch of SENSEX derivatives EUREX, it provides new opportunities for customers seeking an appropriate hedging tool for Indian exposure or arbitrage trading EUREX SENSEX Futures and Options will be denominated in U.S. dollars and settled in cash.

More details about the contracts are available at Sensex Futures And Options

Career Point Infosystems has come out with an IPO of Rs. 115 crores for its expansion plans. The company provides tutorial services for All India pre-medical and pre-dental tests and for engineering, medical entrance exams such as AIEEE, IIT-JEE also.

The company has its presence through 33 centres mainly in North, East and Central India.The main objects of the issue is to meet expenses towards general corporate purposes and to construct and develop an integrated campus facilities.

Details of the issue:

Issue Size: Rs. 115.00 Crore.
Face Value: Rs. 10 Per Equity Share.
Price Band: Rs. 295 - Rs. 310 Per Equity Share.
Market Lot: 20 Shares.
Issue Open: Sep 16, 2010 - Sep 21, 2010.

To invest or not?

The net profit for FY10 was Rs. 18 crore with an EPS of Rs. 13.2 on an equity of Rs. 14.42 crore. The company is expects its business to grow at the rate of 30% with margins of about 33%. There is always a market fancy for education stocks and also, the company has allotted 6.56 lakh shares to anchor investors at Rs 310 a share, which is at the higher price band.

All these things make this IPO interesting which would give listing gains as well as for holding medium term to long term.

Bajaj Corp Ltd has come out with an IPO of 45 lakh shares of Rs.5 each in the price band of Rs.630-Rs.650. Bajaj Corp is India’s one of the largest producer of hair oils and some of its brands include Bajaj Almond Drops, Brahmi Amla, and Jasmine Hair Oil.

The proceeds of this IPO is to be used for diversificatin by foraying into new products, supported by heavy spending on advertising and promotion.

Details of the issue:

Issue Open: Aug 02, 2010 - Aug 05, 2010.
Issue Price: Rs. 630 - Rs. 660.
Issue Size: Rs. 283.50 - 297.00 Crore
Market Lot: 10 Shares.
Listing At: BSE, NSE.

Fundamental updates:

For FY10, the company's revenues were Rs. 330 crores and its net profit was Rs. 84 crores, thereby earning an EPS of Rs. 33. At the upper price band the P/E works out to about 20 times. Currently most of the FMCG companies are trading in the P/E band of 25-30 and over long term FMCG companies have performed well. Though the issue is not cheap,  it offers decent upside over medium to long term, as well listing gains too.