Asian Paints stock declines on weak Q3 results, with brokerages cutting target prices amid competition and demand concerns.

Asian Paints' consolidated net profit attributable to the owners of the company declined 23.3 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to Rs 1,110.5 crore in Q3FY25, down from Rs 1,447.7 crore in Q3FY24

Earnings downgrades, sluggish urban demand, and intensifying competition are weighing on Asian Paints. As Birla Opus scales up and consumer downtrading continues, can the market leader defend its dominance without sacrificing margins?

Asian Paints shares fell 5.10 per cent to hit a low of Rs 2,235. The stock has corrected 23 per cent in the past three months, and is now trading at 41 times FY27 EPS, as per analyst estimates.

Rise in competitive intensity for market share, talent, and shelf-space, and mind share will keep Asian Paints' margins under pressure. To add to that, weakness in urban demand and a rise in competition in terms of mergers and acquisitions may also hurt earnings, ultimately leading to rating downgrade, Citi said.

Asian Paints on Tuesday reported a 23.3 per cent drop in consolidated net profit to ₹1,110.48 crore for the third quarter (Q3) of the financial year 2024-25 (FY25), from ₹1,447.72 crore reported during the same period last year. Sequentially, however, profit rose nearly 60 per cent from ₹694.64 crore.

Raw material costs stood at 57.7% of the consolidated revenues-higher than the year-ago level of 56.5%. Other expenses, too, climbed to make up 16.2% of the revenues-much higher than the y-o-y level of 14.