Cosmo First has declared its financial results for the quarter that ended Dec 2022. During the quarter, BOPP and BOPET industries faced excess supply caused due to bunching of new production lines and on the other hand, demand disruptions in overseas markets. The contribution margin dropped below sustainable levels and impacted everyone in the industry.

The Company, mitigated the impact on the back of its strong presence in the specialty films segment. The performance could have been better but for:

• One-time inventory loss in Raw materials and Finished Goods (both in India and subsidiaries)

• Planned maintenance of some of the production lines

• Restricted flow of orders for specialty films due to the festive and holiday season in Europe and the USA

• Larger funding of operating deficit in the rapidly growing Petcare vertical.

The BOPET line, which was commissioned towards the end of last quarter continued to focus on perfecting recipes, processes, and quality parameters for various specialty and value-added films in line with the company’s entry strategy in polyester films.

The company’s petcare vertical, is rapidly expanding and clocking a monthly run rate of Rs. 1 crore in sales revenue from its 11 experience centers in various locations and increasing its online presence through its website and mobile app.

The company’s financials remain strong with annualized ROCE and ROE at 20% and 25% respectively and net debt to EBITDA of less than one time.

In December 2022, the company announced the Buyback of its shares from all the shareholders via the tender route with an outlay of Rs.108 crores. The offer period ended on 9th February 2023, and the shareholders should receive payment by 20th February 2023 as scheduled.

Commenting on the company’s performance, Pankaj Poddar, group chief executive officer, Cosmo First, said, “the near-term outlook for BOPP and Polyester films is expected to be challenging though the company’s strong specialty films portfolio should deliver superior returns. Zigly is rapidly becoming well known among pet parents benefitting all pet lovers and the company’s shareholders. Specialty chemicals division should double its net revenues while actively focussing on new product launches."