Gayatri Projects (GAYAPROJ)
TurnaroundFairStock Score: 40/100 — MIXED
Score breakdown: P/E: 3/3 · ROCE: 0/2 · Growth: 2/2 · Dividend: 0/1
Key Financials
| Current Price | ₹21.16 |
| Market Cap | ₹982.46 Cr |
| P/E Ratio | 0.19 |
| ROCE | 7.99% |
| ROE | -362.87% |
| Dividend Yield | 0% |
| Profit Growth | 1,000% |
| Debt/Equity | 0.51 |
| Sales Growth | 208.7% |
| Promoter Holding | 3.94% |
| 52-Week Range | ₹9.51 — ₹26 |
| Sector | Construction |
| Book Value | ₹32.42 |
Strengths
- Latest quarter shows a reported net profit of ₹2,157 Cr against ₹506 Cr sales, indicating a possible event-driven earnings surge.
- Sales growth of 456.91% suggests a sharp revenue pickup in the reported period.
- Piotroski F-Score of 7/9 signals some recent improvement in fundamental health metrics.
- ROCE of 7.99% shows the operating capital base is generating some return, despite the destroyed equity.
- Current price is well off the 52-week low of ₹8.21, implying some market optimism.
Concerns
- Negative book value of ₹-76.81 per share means shareholders' equity is wiped out; risk of insolvency is real.
- Promoter holding of just 3.94% is extremely low, giving management little financial alignment with minority shareholders.
- P/E of 1.14 is misleading because the latest quarterly profit is far larger than quarterly sales and likely non-recurring.
- ROE of -362.87% and unavailable Debt/Equity ratio reflect severe financial distress and high leverage.
AI Analysis
Let me start with the most basic Graham test: does this company have a margin of safety? The answer is plainly no. Gayatri Projects has a negative book value of ₹-76.81 per share. That means the liabilities exceed the assets on the balance sheet. In Graham's language, you are not buying a business; you are buying a claim on a stream of cash flows that has already been pledged to creditors. The reported P/E of 1.14 is a trap. A quarterly net profit of ₹2,157 Cr against quarterly sales of ₹506 Cr is not operating earnings; it looks like an extraordinary, non-recurring event. Mr. Market may celebrate this quarter, but I do not value a business on one lucky quarter. The ROE of -362.87% confirms the equity base is destroyed, and with promoter holding just 3.94%, those who know the business best have almost no ownership stake in it. That is a red flag I cannot ignore. The sales growth of 456.91% and profit growth of 1,000% sound spectacular, but they are meaningless if the underlying net worth is negative and debt cannot even be expressed as a ratio. Civil construction in India is a tough, cyclical, low-margin business. There is no durable moat here. The Piotroski F-Score of 7/9 is interesting, but it is a mechanical score that can be flattered by one-time gains and capital raises. As Buffett would say, it is far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price. This is not a wonderful company. It is a financially stressed, cyclically exposed contractor. I will watch from the sidelines.
Data from BSE/NSE filings. AI analysis is for educational purposes only — not investment advice. Scoring methodology · Disclaimer