MCB, OGDC, PRL, ICI, Unilever profits to go up; Lucky, ABL, Indus down

Top and bottom line growth is expected to be driven by the Home and Personal Care (HPC) and ice cream segments. The beverage segment is likely to deliver flat growth for the quarter and this trend is not expected to reverse going forward . Although rising raw material costs are likely to place pressure on margins it is being forecasted that the company may maintain margins through selective product price hikes.
ICI to post net PAT of Rs834mn, reflecting an increase of 13pc YoY, and EPS Rs6.01 with an interim dividend of Rs2.75/share.
Indus Motor to post net profits of Rs2.3bn (EPS Rs29.3) versus earnings of Rs2.7bn (EPS Rs34.9) in FY07 - a decline of 16%. Along with the result, analysts expect the company to announce final cash dividend of Rs6-7 per share which will take full year cash dividend to Rs10-11 per share. The decrease in earnings is expected on account of 2% fall in unit sales and rising costs amid rupee depreciation.
Lucky cement to post FY08 earnings of Rs2.3bn (fully diluted EPS Rs7.1) versus Rs2.5bn (EPS Rs7.9) in FY07, a decline of 10pc. The company’s operating profit is expected to grow by 6pc however; analysts expect a negative per share impact of Rs1.43 in fourth quarter due to rupee depreciation on cross currency swap agreements.
It is also being expected that the company may announce a cash dividend of Rs1 per share.
ABL to post earnings of Rs2.5bn (EPS Rs3.9) versus earnings of Rs2.8bn (EPS Rs4.3) in 1H2007, a decline of 8pc YoY.
This decline in earnings is largely attributable to higher provisions against non performing loans during the period.
Analysts expect ABL to book provisions of Rs1bn in 1H2008 as against provisions of Rs149mn recorded in 1H2007. Analysts also expect the bank to announce dividends of Rs1.5/share along with these results.