ICRA Ratings in its latest report has said that the coronavirus pandemic sharply boosted revenue and operating profit margins of national-level diagnostic firms during first half of the year (H1FY22) which may help them log out 2021-22 with around 55 per cent jump in topline growth and around 800 basis points increase in operating margins. It also expects the prices of diagnostic tests to stabilise at current levels due to focus on volume growth and higher competitive intensity from unorganized players.
According to the report, the diagnostics industry saw a sharp 74 per cent jump in revenue in April-September partly due to low base and partly due to higher demands for COVID tests, while non-COVID tests slipped. This growth is in line with the active cases that touched an all-time high in May 2021, peaking at over 4x the first wave peak. It said despite regulated pricing on COVID tests, better volume mix led to improved realization in H1 (April-September). Operating profit margins has improved to 32 per cent in H1 from 23 per cent in H1 FY21 and 30 per cent in Q4 FY21, given the low base, operating leverage benefits from increased realisations and stabilized raw material prices.
The agency expects operating margin levels to improve sharply to 30-32 per cent in FY22 from 27.2 per cent in FY21 and is likely to stabilise in the 29-30 per cent range during FY23 due to focus on volume growth against the prevailing pricing pressures. It said as most industry players follow an asset-light model, capex requirements have remained minimal, limiting the long-term debt. Still net-debt position for national-level companies is expected to remain negative in the near-term on the back of sizeable cash balances and healthy accruals.
MoneyWorks4Me is a SEBI-registered Investment Adviser (IA) dedicated to helping investors build long-term wealth through transparent, research-driven, conflict-free guidance. Founded in 2008, we started our journey as a Research Analyst (RA), providing deep fundamental analysis, intrinsic value insights, and long-term investing frameworks for Indian equities. In 2017, we transitioned to a full-fledged SEBI-registered Investment Adviser, strengthening our commitment to acting as a fiduciary—always putting the investor’s interest first.
To become India’s most trusted, research-powered fiduciary advisory platform—where every investor, regardless of experience, can make calm, confident, and well-reasoned investment decisions.
MoneyWorks4Me ensures this through: