State-run NMDC Ltd. has cut lumps and fines prices by ₹200 per tonne and ₹250 per tonne respectively, it said in an exchange filing.
While the prices of lumps are cut to ₹5,800 per tonne, the price of fines is cut to ₹,5060 per tonne.
This is the first price cut undertaken by NMDC since August 2023.
CNBC-TV18 had reported earlier about NMDC having undertaken a price cut after iron ore prices corrected by 25% globally.
Iron ore is among the weakest performers among major commodities. The slump has been driven principally by concerns about demand in China, where officials are battling a prolonged crisis in the nation’s steel-intensive property sector. Against that backdrop, some mills have been reducing production.
Holdings of iron ore at ports in China — the world’s biggest importer — have been building up, pointing to ample supplies. Inventories swelled to 140.9 million tons two week ago, the highest level in more than a year.
Currently, domestic prices are at a 25% premium to the export parity, according to Citi's note.
Every ₹100 per tonne change in the prices of fines impacts NMDC's EBITDA by nearly 4%, the brokerage said.
As a result, the brokerage maintained its "sell" recommendation on NMDC and cut its price target on the stock by 16% to ₹180 from ₹215 earlier.
Shares of NMDC are trading 0.7% higher at ₹207.30.
(Edited by : Hormaz Fatakia)
First Published: Mar 21, 2024 11:17 AM IST