Dr Lal Pathlabs Q4 Results: Profit dips to Rs 56.7 cr; co announces dividend of Rs 6 per share

Dr Lal Pathlabs on Thursday said its consolidated net profit declined 7.5 percent to Rs 56.7 crore in the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2022 — much lower than CNBC-TV18's poll of Rs 65.7 crore. The company had reported a net profit of Rs 61 crore for January-March period a year ago.

Revenue from operations, however, rose to Rs 491 crore in the fourth quarter as against Rs 485.5 crore in the year-ago period, Dr Lal Pathlabs said in a statement.

Operating margin, calculated as Ebitda (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) was down 4.5 percent at Rs 115.6 crore, as against Rs 121.1 crore in the year-ago period. Ebitda margin stood at 23.5 percent compared to 24.9 percent in the corresponding quarter of last year.

The company said it board has approved a final dividend of Rs 6 per share on face value of Rs 10 each for the year ended March 31, 2023.

Commenting on the performance, Dr Om Manchanda, Managing Director said: "Our belief is that the brands that have made comprehensive investments in network creation, infrastructure scale up, and patient services will be the frontrunners of growth. Within healthcare, patients are increasingly aligning themselves with trustworthy brands, and therefore, it is crucial that we improve our on-theground presence and experience. In order to enhance our performance trajectory, we will continue to extend our network into tier 2 and 3 regions of India."

"Furthermore, our expansion in the West, mainly Mumbai and other large cities, will emanate from increasing the density of our collection centers. To achieve this, we are deploying hub labs as a means to amplify our capabilities. These labs will provide support to a cluster of collection centers in the surrounding areas, resulting in improved cost efficiency and faster turnaround times,” Manchanda added.

Shares of Dr Lal PathLabs Ltd were trading 1.18 percent lower at Rs 1,926.80 apiece in Thursday's trade. The stock rose 3 percent in the last one month, while on a year-to-date basis it fell 13 percent.