Hindustan Copper Ltd
Hindustan Copper Ltd
CommoditiesIncorporated in the year 1967, Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) was formed to take over from National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd. It is the first Indian PSU and only vertically integrated copper producing company. HCL is engaged in various processes right from copper mining to the final stage of converting copper into saleable products. [1]
Hindustan Copper delivers exceptional profit growth of 55% CAGR over 5 years and is virtually debt-free, but trades at an extremely stretched valuation of 53.8x PE and 14.79x book value. The stock has already rallied 103% in 1 year, pricing in much of the growth story, warranting caution at current levels.
Key Fundamentals
MidcapCopperMetals & MiningTechnical Indicators
Key Insights
Strengths
6- Company has reduced debt.
- Company is almost debt free.
- Company is expected to give good quarter
- Company has delivered good profit growth of 55.2% CAGR over last 5 years
- Company has been maintaining a healthy dividend payout of 30.1%
- Debtor days have improved from 25.0 to 15.8 days.
Weaknesses
1- Stock is trading at 14.5 times its book value
Growth Rate
AI Analysis — Bull vs Bear
Hindustan Copper delivers exceptional profit growth of 55% CAGR over 5 years and is virtually debt-free, but trades at an extremely stretched valuation of 53.8x PE and 14.79x book value. The stock has already rallied 103% in 1 year, pricing in much of the growth story, warranting caution at current levels.
- Compounded profit growth of 55% CAGR over 5 years demonstrates strong earnings momentum
- Company is almost debt-free, providing financial flexibility for capacity expansion without leverage risk
- ROE of 33% in the last year indicates highly efficient capital deployment for a PSU mining company
- TTM sales growth of 49% signals strong demand tailwinds from India's energy transition and infrastructure push
- Debtor days improved from 25.0 to 15.8 days, reflecting better working capital management and collection efficiency
- 3-year ROE of 23% and 5-year ROE of 22% show consistent profitability improvement, not a one-off spike
- Healthy dividend payout ratio of 30.1% with 0.2% yield provides income floor while retaining capital for growth
- Only PSU copper producer in India with monopoly on domestic copper ore mining, benefiting from import substitution policy
- PE ratio of 53.8x is extremely expensive for a commodities company where cyclical earnings can reverse sharply
- Price-to-book of 14.79x is excessively rich — stock trades at nearly 15 times its book value with limited asset backing at this price
- Stock CAGR of 103% in 1 year far outpaces the 49% TTM revenue growth, suggesting speculative premium over fundamentals
- Only 1 analyst covers the stock with a buy rating, indicating thin institutional research coverage and potential liquidity risk at ₹49,014 Cr market cap
- 10-year sales CAGR of just 11% reveals the underlying business growth is modest — recent acceleration may not sustain
- Dividend yield of only 0.2% offers negligible income protection if stock price corrects from elevated levels
- As a commodity producer, earnings are highly sensitive to global copper price cycles — the 114% TTM profit jump partly reflects favorable pricing rather than structural improvement
- 10-year ROE of only 12% versus last year's 33% highlights the cyclical nature of returns — mean reversion risk is significant
This is AI-generated analysis, not financial advice. Do your own due diligence.
AI News Digest
- ₹92 crore water charge demand May 28
Jharkhand Water Resource Department issued revised demand of ₹92.166 crore including ₹45.543 crore penalty for water charges. Company is evaluating and plans to request penalty waiver.
- Exchange fines for board non-compliance Jun 16
BSE and NSE fined Hindustan Copper ₹9,55,800 each (total ₹19.11 lakh) for non-compliance with board composition and committee norms. Company seeking exemption under Uniform Carve Out Policy.
- Q4 FY26 profit surges 134% Jun 9
Consolidated net profit jumped 134.36% YoY to ₹444.06 crore in Q4 FY26 vs ₹189.48 crore in Q4 FY25. Revenue from operations rose 58.06% YoY to ₹1,156.08 crore.
- New CMD Anupam Misra appointed Jun 9
Anupam Misra appointed CMD effective July 1, 2026, with tenure until Feb 28, 2030. Stock rose 2.52% to ₹519.10 on positive investor sentiment around leadership transition.
- Forest clearance for Chandmari mine Jun 24
Rajasthan government granted forest clearance on 23.06.2026 for Chandmari copper mine in Jhunjhunu, co-terminus with mine lease period ensuring regulatory continuity.
- Strategic partnerships approved May 29
Board approved 20-year revenue-sharing contract with Lohum Materials and MoUs with Central University of South Bihar, Engineers India Limited, and CSIR-NML for operations and R&D.
- New ED Operations appointed Jun 2
Shri Shyam Sundar Sethi designated as Executive Director (Operations) covering Production, Safety and Law effective June 1, 2026.
- New Unit Head at ICC Jun 1
Shri Umesh Singh, Executive Director (Mining), took charge as Unit Head of Indian Copper Complex effective May 30, 2026.
- Promoter shares unencumbered May 28
President of India (promoter holding 66.14%) declared no encumbrance on Hindustan Copper shares for FY26 in disclosure to BSE and NSE.
TL;DR: Hindustan Copper delivered a strong Q4 FY26 with 134% profit growth and 58% revenue increase, signaling robust operational momentum. New CMD appointment and strategic partnerships with Lohum and EIL point to a growth-oriented outlook. Key risks include the ₹92 crore water charge demand from Jharkhand and recurring board composition non-compliance fines. The trend is improving operationally, but governance housekeeping and the Jharkhand liability need resolution to sustain investor confidence.
Quarterly Results
| Mar 2023 | Jun 2023 | Sep 2023 | Dec 2023 | Mar 2024 | Jun 2024 | Sep 2024 | Dec 2024 | Mar 2025 | Jun 2025 | Sep 2025 | Dec 2025 | Mar 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 560 | 371 | 381 | 399 | 565 | 494 | 518 | 328 | 731 | 516 | 718 | 687 | 1,156 |
| Expenses | 374 | 278 | 260 | 293 | 340 | 305 | 366 | 220 | 465 | 304 | 436 | 347 | 528 |
| Operating Profit | 186 | 93 | 121 | 107 | 226 | 188 | 152 | 108 | 267 | 212 | 282 | 340 | 628 |
| OPM % | 33% | 25% | 32% | 27% | 40% | 38% | 29% | 33% | 36% | 41% | 39% | 50% | 54% |
| Other Income | 52 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 20 | 7 | 32 | 16 | 47 | 10 | 11 | -78 | 33 |
| Interest | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Depreciation | 61 | 41 | 46 | 30 | 59 | 38 | 48 | 38 | 52 | 41 | 44 | 48 | 67 |
| PBT | 174 | 62 | 83 | 82 | 183 | 154 | 135 | 84 | 260 | 179 | 249 | 213 | 592 |
| Tax % | 24% | 24% | 27% | 23% | 32% | 26% | 25% | 26% | 27% | 25% | 25% | 26% | 25% |
| Net Profit | 132 | 47 | 61 | 63 | 124 | 113 | 102 | 63 | 191 | 134 | 186 | 156 | 444 |
| EPS in Rs | 1.37 | 0.49 | 0.63 | 0.65 | 1.29 | 1.17 | 1.05 | 0.65 | 1.97 | 1.39 | 1.92 | 1.62 | 4.59 |
Profit & Loss
| Mar 2015 | Mar 2016 | Mar 2017 | Mar 2018 | Mar 2019 | Mar 2020 | Mar 2021 | Mar 2022 | Mar 2023 | Mar 2024 | Mar 2025 | Mar 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 1,016 | 1,072 | 1,204 | 1,670 | 1,816 | 832 | 1,787 | 1,822 | 1,677 | 1,717 | 2,071 | 3,078 |
| Expenses | 888 | 962 | 981 | 1,399 | 1,310 | 1,074 | 1,376 | 1,310 | 1,185 | 1,170 | 1,332 | 1,616 |
| Operating Profit | 128 | 110 | 223 | 271 | 506 | -242 | 411 | 512 | 492 | 547 | 738 | 1,462 |
| OPM % | 13% | 10% | 18% | 16% | 28% | -29% | 23% | 28% | 29% | 32% | 36% | 48% |
| Other Income | 67 | 52 | 27 | 41 | 37 | 57 | 35 | 50 | 96 | 54 | 78 | -24 |
| Interest | 1 | 3 | 14 | 26 | 60 | 62 | 64 | 30 | 17 | 17 | 8 | 5 |
| Depreciation | 113 | 119 | 142 | 165 | 253 | 291 | 295 | 150 | 175 | 175 | 176 | 200 |
| PBT | 80 | 40 | 94 | 122 | 230 | -538 | 87 | 382 | 396 | 410 | 634 | 1,233 |
| Tax % | 16% | 5% | 34% | 35% | 37% | 6% | -26% | 2% | 25% | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| Net Profit | 68 | 38 | 62 | 80 | 146 | -569 | 110 | 374 | 295 | 295 | 469 | 921 |
| EPS in Rs | 0.73 | 0.41 | 0.67 | 0.86 | 1.57 | -6.15 | 1.19 | 3.87 | 3.05 | 3.05 | 4.85 | 9.52 |
| Div. Payout % | 21% | 0% | 30% | 29% | 33% | 0% | 29% | 30% | 30% | 30% | 30% | 30% |
Balance Sheet
| Mar 2015 | Mar 2016 | Mar 2017 | Mar 2018 | Mar 2019 | Mar 2020 | Mar 2021 | Mar 2022 | Mar 2023 | Mar 2024 | Mar 2025 | Mar 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Capital | 463 | 463 | 463 | 463 | 463 | 463 | 463 | 484 | 484 | 484 | 484 | 484 |
| Reserves | 1,399 | 948 | 1,004 | 1,065 | 1,174 | 498 | 627 | 1,428 | 1,599 | 1,802 | 2,181 | 2,864 |
| Borrowings | 0 | 207 | 472 | 657 | 1,070 | 1,564 | 1,137 | 409 | 156 | 223 | 167 | 111 |
| Other Liabilities | 371 | 1,181 | 597 | 630 | 636 | 802 | 819 | 844 | 956 | 971 | 880 | 963 |
| Total Liabilities | 2,233 | 2,799 | 2,536 | 2,814 | 3,344 | 3,326 | 3,046 | 3,164 | 3,194 | 3,479 | 3,711 | 4,421 |
| Fixed Assets | 202 | 178 | 354 | 332 | 316 | 337 | 322 | 282 | 1,326 | 1,430 | 1,731 | 1,922 |
| CWIP | 851 | 733 | 279 | 660 | 1,022 | 1,232 | 1,179 | 683 | 731 | 917 | 766 | 741 |
| Investments | 71 | 76 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 29 | 31 | 31 |
| Other Assets | 1,108 | 1,812 | 1,903 | 1,822 | 2,005 | 1,757 | 1,544 | 2,199 | 1,127 | 1,102 | 1,183 | 1,727 |
| Total Assets | 2,233 | 2,799 | 2,536 | 2,814 | 3,344 | 3,326 | 3,046 | 3,164 | 3,194 | 3,479 | 3,711 | 4,421 |
Cash Flow
| Mar 2015 | Mar 2016 | Mar 2017 | Mar 2018 | Mar 2019 | Mar 2020 | Mar 2021 | Mar 2022 | Mar 2023 | Mar 2024 | Mar 2025 | Mar 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating | 237 | 262 | -260 | 372 | 252 | 86 | 832 | 1,052 | 674 | 341 | 544 | 1,474 |
| Investing | -209 | -451 | -258 | -558 | -587 | -430 | -364 | -404 | -337 | -525 | -402 | -434 |
| Financing | -109 | 183 | -8 | -96 | 445 | 42 | 133 | -251 | -339 | -39 | -152 | -299 |
| Net Cash Flow | -80 | -7 | -526 | -282 | 110 | -302 | 601 | 397 | -3 | -222 | -10 | 741 |
| Free Cash Flow | 82 | -29 | -352 | -25 | -147 | -135 | 629 | 829 | 574 | -193 | 132 | 1,348 |
| CFO/OP | 238 | 253 | -109 | 141 | 61 | -54 | 202 | 225 | 153 | 82 | 95 | 118 |
Ratios
| Mar 2015 | Mar 2016 | Mar 2017 | Mar 2018 | Mar 2019 | Mar 2020 | Mar 2021 | Mar 2022 | Mar 2023 | Mar 2024 | Mar 2025 | Mar 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debtor Days | 31 | 20 | 50 | 18 | 73 | 36 | 34 | 16 | 14 | 29 | 30 | 16 |
| Inventory Days | — | — | — | 737 | 1,189 | — | 413 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Days Payable | — | — | — | 204 | 358 | — | 147 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cash Conversion Cycle | 31 | 20 | 50 | 550 | 903 | 36 | 301 | 16 | 14 | 29 | 30 | 16 |
| Working Capital Days | 178 | 137 | 162 | 23 | 69 | -96 | 18 | -19 | -29 | 35 | 56 | -28 |
| ROCE % | 4% | 2% | 6% | 7% | 12% | -18% | 6% | 18% | 18% | 18% | 24% | 42% |
Documents
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Company Information
Incorporated in the year 1967, Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) was formed to take over from National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd. It is the first Indian PSU and only vertically integrated copper producing company. HCL is engaged in various processes right from copper mining to the final stage of converting copper into saleable products. [1]