Stocks Analysis

ITC – Stock Analysis

Disclaimer: This Article is for educational purposes and does not constitute investment advice.  The views expressed are as of the date of this publication, which is 29 January 2026.

Publish Date: 29-Jan-2026

Current Share Price: 320

52-week low: 318

52-week High: 472

Valuation:  Attractive, as long as its stock price is below 350.

About the Company

ITC Limited is a massive Indian conglomerate with a diverse portfolio.  Its market capitalisation is 4 lakh crore rupees, and it is the second-largest in the FMCG sector (FMCG – Fast Moving Consumer Goods), next only to HUL (Hindustan Unilever).  It operates primarily in the below six verticals.

a. FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods)

• Foods: Aashirvaad (No.1 in atta), Sunfeast (biscuits), Bingo! (snacks), and YiPPee! (noodles).  It has a reach across 25+ Cr households. 
• Personal Care: Savlon (antiseptics), Fiama (shower gels), Vivel (soaps), and Engage (deodorants).
• Education & Stationery: It owns Classmate, India’s largest notebook brand, and the premium Paperkraft.  Also, Mangaldeep Agarbathi.
• Cigarettes: ITC is the undisputed leader in India’s organised cigarette market, with an estimated market share exceeding 75%.  Key brands include Gold Flake, Classic, and Wills.

b.  Agri Business

ITC is one of the top exporters of commodities like spices, coffee, frozen marine products, processed fruits, wheat, and rice.  It has the strongest network that extends to over 40 lakhs farmers across 35,000 villages in 10 Indian states.  Farmers sell produce directly to ITC, bypassing multiple layers of intermediaries and ensuring fair weighing and immediate payment.  In turn, the company gets products in bulk from them at good bargains.  It is a win-win for both sides.

c.  Hotel Business

1. ITC owned ITC Hotels as its subsidiary.  Effective Jan 2025, ITC Hotel was demerged as an independent listed company.  This demerger frees ITC from funding large-scale capital expenditure for ITC Hotel’s future expansion and growth.
2. ITC still possesses 40% ownership of ITC Hotels Limited.  Only 60% is owned by the public, mutual funds, and foreign investors.  So, it still remains a major beneficiary if ITC Hotels continues its dominance in the hotel and Hospitality Industry in India.
3. ITC receives annual royalty payments from the hotel entity for the use of its brand name.
4. ITC leverages the hotel network to cross-promote and develop its FMCG brands, such as Kitchens of India and MasterChef.

d. ITC Cloud Kitchen

1. It allows ITC to move beyond its traditional FMCG and tobacco dominance, targeting the rapidly growing Indian food delivery market—projected to double by 2030.
2. Cloud kitchens benefit from a 5% GST rate (vs. 18% for hotel restaurants) and lower overheads by eliminating physical dining space.
3. By partnering with aggregators like Swiggy and Zomato, it can rapidly enter new cities with minimal capital expenditure. 

e.  Information Technology

1. ITC owns ITC Infotech, which is a specialised global technology services provider with over 10,000 employees and clients among Fortune 500 companies.
2. ITC Infotech is valued at approximately ₹25,000 crore. There is persistent investor buzz that a separate listing—similar to L&T emerging L&T Infotech—could significantly unlock value for ITC shareholders.

e. Cigarettes Business

1. Cigarettes serve as the “financial engine” for ITC Limited, accounting for about 44% of revenue; they generate a staggering 80% of the company’s total profits.  
2. Margin:  In this business is a staggering 62%.
3. Market Dominance: Controls roughly 75% to 80% of the legal cigarette market in India, giving it immense scale and negotiation power.
4. Pricing Power:  Due to the habit-forming nature of the product, ITC can often pass on tax hikes to consumers, maintaining its profit levels.
5. Entry Barriers:  Heavy government regulations, advertising bans, and the lack of new manufacturing licenses since 1994 create an “invisible wall” that keeps new competitors out, protecting its market share.
6. Infrastructure Synergy: The massive distribution network built for cigarettes—reaching over 2 million retail outlets—is used to push other FMCG products like biscuits and soaps into every corner of the country.

Financial Numbers

1. ITC reported a consolidated net profit of ₹35,052 crore. 
2. It has an attractive dividend yield of 4.5% [Good for the investors if this value is high]
3. ROCE (Return on Capital Employed): 36.8% [Good for the investors if this value is more than 15%]
4. RoE (Return on Equity): 27.3% [Good for the investors if this value is more than 15%]
5. Debt to Equity Ratio: 0.0021 [Good for the investors if this value is below 1.0]
6. P/E (Price to Earnings): 19.8 [Good for the investors if this value is below 30]

Miscellaneous Information

Warren Buffett favours companies with a high, consistent ROE (ideally >20% over 5-10 years), very low debt-to-equity ratio (<0.5).

Comparison

1. If we view ITC as an FMCG company, its P/E is lower when compared to its peer (say HUL).  The P/E of HUL is 52, and for ITC it is 20.
2. If we view ITC as a cigarette company, its P/E is lower when compared to Godfrey Phillips India Ltd, whose P/E is 25.

Risks

Regulatory Risk

1. The primary risk facing ITC stock is a taxation shock in its core cigarette business. In January 2026, the Indian government notified a significant excise duty hike on cigarettes, effective February 1, 2026, which caused the stock to crash nearly 15-20% in the first month of the year.
2. Though ITC will be able to pass on this duty hike to the end-customers, it will still impact its revenue growth.  But the current stock price (Rs. 320) already priced this.

Peer Competition Risk

ITC faces pressure from established rivals like HUL, Nestle, and Britannia, which can limit its pricing power.

Recommendation

ITC looks attractive as long as its stock price is below Rs.350.00

Important Instructions

1. Do not borrow money to invest in the stock.
2. Do not invest in the stock if you need this money within five years.
3. Do not allocate more than 20% of your stock portfolio to any single stock to avoid concentration risk.

Vocabulary

1. Net Income: The total profit after all expenses, interest, and taxes are deducted.
2. EBIT: Earnings Before Interest and Tax (Operating Profit).
3. Market Capitalisation: The total market value of a publicly traded company’s outstanding shares.  Market Capitalisation = Current Share Price × Total Outstanding Shares
4. ROCE:  Return on Capital Employed – It measures how effectively a business generates profits from the total capital it employs.  ROCE is calculated by dividing operating profit by the total capital used in the business, usually expressed as a percentage.  Formula: ROCE = (EBIT / Capital Employed) × 100. The higher the ROE, the higher the stock performance.
5. ROE:  Return on Equity – It measures a company’s profitability relative to its shareholders’ equity.  It is calculated by dividing net income by shareholders’ equity, usually expressed as a percentage. Formula: ROE = (Net Income / Shareholders’ Equity) × 100. The higher the ROE, the higher the stock performance.
6. Debt to Equity Ratio: It is a measure of how much of its growth is powered by borrowed money (debt) versus its own internal funds (equity). The value when less than one is typically viewed as lower risk and more stable.
7. P/E:  Price to Earnings Ratio – It indicates how much investors are willing to pay for every Re.1 of a company’s earnings per share.  For example, ITC earns Rs.16.00 per equity share.  Its stock is trading at Rs.320.  So, Its Price to Earnings is 320/16, which is 20.  The lower the P/E, the higher the return on the investment.