Consolidated profit before tax (PBT) stood at Rs 35.51 crore in Q2FY21, surging 21.23% from Rs 29.29 crore in Q1FY21. Tax expense declined 65% to Rs 8.36 crore in Q2FY21 over Q1FY21. The Q2 result was announced after market hours yesterday, 21 October 2020.

EBITDA rose 5.16% to Rs 69.65 crore in Q2 September 2020 as against Rs 66.23 crore in Q1 June 2020. EBITDA margin improved to 14.3% in Q2FY21 as compared with 13.4% in Q1FY21. Net cash jumped 33.99% to Rs 527.80 crore in Q2FY21 over Rs 393.90 crore in Q1FY21.

Kishor Patil, the co-founder, the managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of KPIT Technologies, has said that: The revenue for the quarter was in line with our expectation and we delivered better on profitability. Change in revenue mix helped us grow volumes and we expect offshoring to increase for a couple of quarters. Despite rupee appreciation, we increased operating margins on the back of improved operational efficiency and productivity. We are confident of growth and further margin improvement in H2 over H1.

Sachin Tikekar, the president and whole-time director of KPIT Technologies, commented: Our clients are witnessing a steady build up in their operations and we persist to drive zero defect delivery and uphold our commitments to them. We continue to invest in relevant practices aligned to CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, Electric). Our pipeline remains strong with a few strategic deals, reiterating our position as a software integrator partner to our clients.

Shares of KPIT Technologies dropped 4.61% to Rs 106.50 on BSE. KPIT Technologies operates as a technology company. The company specializes in embedded software, artificial intelligence, and digital solutions and serves automobile industry worldwide.

JK Tyre & Industries Ltd, Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Phoenix Mills Ltd, TVS Srichakra Ltd are among the other stocks to see a surge in volumes on BSE today, 22 October 2020.

Garware Technical Fibres Ltd clocked volume of 20620 shares by 10:54 IST on BSE, a 13.83 times surge over two-week average daily volume of 1491 shares. The stock lost 0.51% to Rs.1,981.00. Volumes stood at 1234 shares in the last session.

JK Tyre & Industries Ltd notched up volume of 6.57 lakh shares by 10:54 IST on BSE, a 11.07 fold spurt over two-week average daily volume of 59318 shares. The stock rose 5.94% to Rs.64.20. Volumes stood at 1.15 lakh shares in the last session.

Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd witnessed volume of 5.07 lakh shares by 10:54 IST on BSE, a 10.31 times surge over two-week average daily volume of 49151 shares. The stock increased 14.16% to Rs.77.40. Volumes stood at 1.69 lakh shares in the last session.

Phoenix Mills Ltd notched up volume of 40089 shares by 10:54 IST on BSE, a 5.48 fold spurt over two-week average daily volume of 7317 shares. The stock slipped 0.52% to Rs.564.70. Volumes stood at 1019 shares in the last session.

TVS Srichakra Ltd saw volume of 3434 shares by 10:54 IST on BSE, a 5.05 fold spurt over two-week average daily volume of 680 shares. The stock dropped 0.82% to Rs.1,506.75. Volumes stood at 3657 shares in the last session.

According to IQVIA Health, potassium chloride extended release tablets USP, 10 mEq & 20 mEq had US generic sales of approximately $204 million for the most recent twelve months ending in August 2020.

The drug will be manufactured at the Granules manufacturing facility in Gagillapur, Hyderabad. Granules now have a total of 34 ANDA approvals from the US FDA (32 Final approvals and 2 tentative approvals).

Priyanka Chigurupati, executive director of Granules Pharma said, This approval from Granules India, received within 10 months of filing reiterates our strength in the development of complex generics. The approval of potassium chloride extended release tablets USP, 10 mEq & 20 mEq, a complex MUPS (multi-unit pellet system)based formulation, equivalent to generic “K-Dur,” and “Klor Con M,” is a good addition to our portfolio. We will be launching this product from our Gagillapur site in Hyderabad, India.

Granules India is a pharmaceutical manufacturing company. The company produces Finished Dosages (FDs), Pharmaceutical Formulation Intermediates (PFIs) and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) which gives the customers flexibility and choice.

The pharma company reported 70.8% jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 164 crore on a 22.7% rise in income from operations to Rs 858 crore in Q2 FY21 over Q2 FY20.

The pharma company's consolidated net profit jumped 22.8% to Rs 780.68 crore on 8.9% increase in net sales to Rs 5,835.23 crore in Q1 June 2020 over Q1 June 2019.

Aurobindo Pharma is engaged in producing oral and injectable generic formulations and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).

Consolidated profit before tax (PBT) soared 674% to Rs 167.40 crore in Q2 September 2020 as against Rs 21.63 crore in Q2 September 2019. Current tax expense for the quarter tumbled 65.26% to Rs 6.18 crore as against Rs 17.79 crore in Q2 September 2019. The Q2 result was declared after market hours yesterday, 21 October 2020.

The EBITDA for the quarter stood at Rs 368 crore. Commenting on the Q2 performance, Dr Raghupati Singhania, the chairman and managing director (MD) of the company, stated that: JK Tyre achieved higher sales on the back of economic recovery, more so in the automotive sector, which has taken place during the quarter. The company was well positioned to take benefit of this emerging opportunity, and as a matter of fact, it could achieve healthy sales in the replacement market, doing better than the industry. The renewed thrust on exports resulted in higher export sales of Rs 337 crore during the quarter.

Profitability improved significantly due to aggressive cost cutting, more particularly fixed costs. The company could achieve savings in interest costs due to its ability to reduce its working capital requirements.

Dr Singhania added that company's subsidiaries i.e., Cavendish Industries (CIL) and JK Tornel (Mexico), have contributed significantly to both, improved sales and profitability.

The firm had earlier said that its subsidiary, CIL recorded a net revenue of Rs 667 and profit before tax (PBT) of Rs 53 crore for the quarter. CIL's EBIDTA stood at Rs 114 crore, which translated in an operating margin of 17%. CIL recorded its highest ever performance on back of higher capacity utilization of 84% with significant increase in truck/bus radial and 2-3-wheeler tyre sales. The aggressive focus on cost reduction particularly fixed costs and overall operating parameters helped improve its cash flows.

Dr Singhania said it expects the Indian economy to sustain its growth momentum in the coming quarters as well.

Meanwhile, the board has appointed Anshuman Singhania as managing director (MD) of JK Tyre & Industries effective 21 October 2020. Singhania joined the company as an executive and over the years has been deeply involved in various activities of the company in different positions, current being Dy. managing director.

Shares of JK Tyre & Industries rallied 6.68% to Rs 64.65 on BSE.

JK Tyre & Industries manufactures a wide range of automobile tires, tubes and flaps. The company also operates a chain of tire outlets across the country which sell the company's tires in addition to providing a range of automotive services, including wheel alignment and tire changing.

Among the components of the S&P BSE Industrials index, Suzlon Energy Ltd (up 9.86%), MEP Infrastructure Developers Ltd (up 5.5%),Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (up 3.71%),Timken India Ltd (up 3.06%),Apcotex Industries Ltd (up 3.04%), were the top gainers. Among the other gainers were Cochin Shipyard Ltd (up 2.86%), GE Power India Ltd (up 2.65%), Apar Industries Ltd (up 2.56%), Balmer Lawrie & Company Ltd (up 2.43%), and Mahindra EPC Irrigation Ltd (up 2.41%).

On the other hand, Kirloskar Brothers Ltd (down 3.69%), Delta Corp Ltd (down 3.33%), and Shakti Pumps (India) Ltd (down 2.61%) turned lower.

At 09:54 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 98.39 or 0.24% at 40608.92.

The Nifty 50 index was down 36.9 points or 0.31% at 11900.75.

The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 32.6 points or 0.22% at 14933.28.

The S&P BSE 150 Midcap Index index was up 4.9 points or 0.1% at 4964.9.

On BSE,918 shares were trading in green, 777 were trading in red and 85 were unchanged.

Among the components of the S&P BSE Capital Goods index, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (up 3.71%), ABB India Ltd (up 1.29%),Bharat Electronics Ltd (up 0.97%),Thermax Ltd (up 0.7%),Finolex Cables Ltd (up 0.66%), were the top gainers. Among the other gainers were Honeywell Automation India Ltd (up 0.64%), Havells India Ltd (up 0.51%), NBCC (India) Ltd (up 0.43%), Carborundum Universal Ltd (up 0.27%), and Lakshmi Machine Works Ltd (up 0.27%).

On the other hand, Grindwell Norton Ltd (down 0.8%), Siemens Ltd (down 0.77%), and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (down 0.7%) moved lower.

At 09:54 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 98.39 or 0.24% at 40608.92.

The Nifty 50 index was down 36.9 points or 0.31% at 11900.75.

The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 32.6 points or 0.22% at 14933.28.

The S&P BSE 150 Midcap Index index was up 4.9 points or 0.1% at 4964.9.

On BSE,918 shares were trading in green, 777 were trading in red and 85 were unchanged.

Among the components of the S&P BSE Telecom index, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (up 4.06%), Sterlite Technologies Ltd (up 3.43%),HFCL Ltd (up 1.8%),ITI Ltd (up 1.15%),Vodafone Idea Ltd (up 0.93%), were the top gainers. Among the other gainers were GTPL Hathway Ltd (up 0.67%), Bharti Airtel Ltd (up 0.42%), Tejas Networks Ltd (up 0.35%), and Vindhya Telelinks Ltd (up 0.11%).

On the other hand, Bharti Infratel Ltd (down 0.83%), and Tata Communications Ltd (down 0.37%) moved lower.

At 09:54 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 98.39 or 0.24% at 40608.92.

The Nifty 50 index was down 36.9 points or 0.31% at 11900.75.

The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 32.6 points or 0.22% at 14933.28.

The S&P BSE 150 Midcap Index index was up 4.9 points or 0.1% at 4964.9.

On BSE,918 shares were trading in green, 777 were trading in red and 85 were unchanged.

ICICI Bank Ltd fell 2.06% today to trade at Rs 411.7. The S&P BSE BANKEX index is down 0.78% to quote at 27750.32. The index is up 15.36 % over last one month. Among the other constituents of the index, Bandhan Bank Ltd decreased 1.71% and Federal Bank Ltd lost 1.4% on the day. The S&P BSE BANKEX index went down 16.68 % over last one year compared to the 3.75% surge in benchmark SENSEX.

ICICI Bank Ltd has added 16.14% over last one month compared to 15.36% gain in S&P BSE BANKEX index and 7.4% rise in the SENSEX. On the BSE, 1.5 lakh shares were traded in the counter so far compared with average daily volumes of 10.01 lakh shares in the past one month. The stock hit a record high of Rs 552.4 on 30 Dec 2019. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 269 on 24 Mar 2020.

Embassy Manyata and Embassy TechZone are part of Embassy REIT's existing asset portfolio and the acquisition further integrates 20.3 msf of property maintenance business to the existing 9.9 msf properties already directly managed by Embassy REIT, the company said in a stock exchange filing on Thursday.

Embassy REIT is acquiring the property maintenance businesses from Embassy Services, an Embassy Group affiliate and expects to fund the consideration by issuing coupon bearing debt at the REIT level. The acquisition cost of Rs 474 crore will be funded through coupon bearing debt at REIT level. Acquisition consideration is at 8.5% discount to average of two independent valuation reports.

This strategic acquisition is expected to be Net Operating Income (NOI) accretive and Distribution per Unit ('DPU') accretive, and positively enhances REIT's ability to respond with increased agility to its occupiers' needs and address their safety concerns during the current pandemic situation. On closing, Embassy REIT will own the property management service delivery for all its fully owned properties. The transaction is subject to completion of customary conditions precedent and is expected to be completed on or before Q3 December 2020.

Michael Holland, chief executive officer of Embassy REIT said,In addition to enhancing our operating income, this transaction fully integrates and aligns property management for all REIT assets and helps further strengthen operational relationships with our occupiers. It will allow us to enhance service delivery, which is particularly important to our occupiers as they finalize 'Back to Workplace' strategies.

Embassy Office Parks REIT's consolidated net profit fell 8% to Rs 204.24 crore in Q1 June 2020 over Q1 June 2019. Net sales slipped 6.1% to Rs 516.23 crore in Q1 June 2020 over Q1 June 2019.

Shares of Embassy Office Parks REIT were down 0.05% at close at Rs 349.89 on BSE yesterday, 21 October 2020.

Embassy Office Parks is India's first publicly listed Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT). It owns and operates a 33.3 million square feet (msf) portfolio of seven infrastructure-like office parks and four city‑centre office buildings in India's best performing office markets of Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, and the National Capital Region (NCR). Embassy Office Parks' portfolio comprises 26.2 msf completed operating area, has an occupancy of 92.2% as of 30 June 2020, and is home to many of the world's leading companies as occupiers.

The net profit was boosted by a tax rebate of Rs 8.62 crore in Q2 September 2020. The company paid total tax of Rs 3.55 crore in Q2 September 2019. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 21 October 2020.

National Peroxide (NPL) is a pioneer in India for peroxygen chemicals and is the largest manufacturer of Hydrogen Peroxide in India.

Tata Communications Ltd gained 1.46% today to trade at Rs 939.35. The S&P BSE Telecom index is up 0.52% to quote at 1047.51. The index is down 7.44 % over last one month. Among the other constituents of the index, ITI Ltd increased 1.36% and Vodafone Idea Ltd added 1.16% on the day. The S&P BSE Telecom index went up 10.35 % over last one year compared to the 3.98% surge in benchmark SENSEX.

Tata Communications Ltd has added 16.61% over last one month compared to 7.44% fall in S&P BSE Telecom index and 7.63% rise in the SENSEX. On the BSE, 833 shares were traded in the counter so far compared with average daily volumes of 11810 shares in the past one month. The stock hit a record high of Rs 965.35 on 21 Oct 2020. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 205.7 on 19 Mar 2020.

Syngene's second quarter performance was primarily driven by good performance in the discovery services and dedicated R&D centre divisions.

The company commenced manufacturing of Remdesivir at its manufacturing facility in Bengaluru with initial distribution expected during the third quarter.

Meanwhile, credit ratings agency ICRA upgraded its credit rating in August from AA to AA+. This is a further affirmation of Syngene's strong fundamentals and robust business model, the company said.

EBITDA in the second quarter increased by 6% to Rs 169 crore from Rs 160 crore reported in the same period last year. EBITDA was at 32% in Q2 FY21 as compared to 33% in Q2 FY20.

Profit before tax in Q2 September 2020 stood at Rs 94.20 crore, down by 44.6% from Rs 170.10 crore in Q2 September 2019. Current tax expense during the quarter tumbled 76% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 10.10 crore.

Commenting on the results, Jonathan Hunt, managing director and chief executive officer - Syngene International, said: The second quarter saw a positive return to growth following a muted first quarter that was impacted by COVID-19. This result reflects a robust operating performance as we have adapted to the COVID-19 situation. We are at near normal operating levels with all our scientists working on site with proper protective measures.

We expect to sustain our growth through the second half and are making good progress towards achieving our full year guidance.

Syngene International is an integrated research, development and manufacturing services company serving the global pharmaceutical, biotechnology, nutrition, animal health, consumer goods and specialty chemical sectors.

Consolidated profit before tax (PBT) stood at Rs 2,156 crore in Q2 September 2020, falling nearly 18% from Rs 2,626 crore in the same period last year. Total tax expense fell 11% year on year to Rs 538.33 crore in Q2 September 2020 over Q2 September 2019. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 21 October 2020.

Bajaj Finserv participates in the financing business through its 51.74% holding in Bajaj Finance and in the protection business through its 74% holding in two unlisted subsidiaries, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company and Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company. Bajaj Housing Finance, which does mortgage business, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bajaj Finance.

Bajaj Finance's consolidated profit after tax contracted 36% YoY to Rs 965 crore after taking additional provision on standard assets and interest income reversal. The company's asset under management grew 1% to Rs 137,090 crore in Q2 September 2020 from Rs 135,533 crore in Q2 September 2019.

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company's gross premium for Q2 September 2020 stood at Rs 4,156 crore, falling 2.8% from Rs 4,279 crore in Q2 September 2019. Net earned premium for Q2 FY21 was fell 6.8% YoY to Rs 1,986 crore in Q2 September 2020. Claim ratio reduced to 74.2% in Q2 September 2020 from 75% in Q2 September 2019. Claims experience was mixed during the quarter with higher claims in health including COVID-19 claims and property due to heavy rainfall, compensated by lower claims in motor own damage segment.

Bajaj Allianz life Insurance Company's new business premium increased 11% to Rs 1,372 crore in Q2 September 2020 from Rs 1,235 crore in Q2 September 2019. Renewal premium for Q2 September 2020 stood at Rs 1,305 crore, rising 30.5% year on year from Rs 1000 crore in Q2 September 2019. Gross written premium increased by 20% to Rs 2,677 crore in Q2 September 2020 from Rs 2,235 crore in Q2 September 2019. The company's solvency ratio was at 730% as compared to a regulatory requirement of 150%.

Commenting on the outlook Bajaj Finserv said, The Company and its subsidiaries remain focused on profitability over growth. They are conserving cash, focusing on risk, strengthening collections, improving and digitising processes and reducing overheads. As a result, the operating companies have strong solvency, well above the required capital as well as healthy liquidity. With signs of normalcy being evident across sectors, all our businesses will be seeking to grow in H2 of this year and enter FY22 with a positive outlook.

Bajaj Finserv further added Faced with COVID-19 and its impact on economic activity, the company and its subsidiaries continue to manage through this once in a life-time situation. The company and its subsidiaries remain focused on profitability over growth. They are conserving cash, focusing on risk, strengthening collections, improving and digitising processes and reducing overheads. As a result, the operating companies have strong solvency, well above the required capital as well as healthy liquidity. With signs of normalcy being evident across sectors, all its businesses will be seeking to grow in H2 of this year and enter FY22 with a positive outlook.

In one of the largest commercial office space deals in India during recent times, Standard Chartered GBS is leasing 7.7 lakh sq. ft. to set-up its largest office establishment in this project. Standard Chartered GBS office in DLF Downtown, Chennai will be its largest campus globally. The unique building design with a wider span of atriums, interconnecting internal staircases, terraces and skylight -is a highly experiential workspace for employees to connect, collaborate and belong.

DLF Downtown, a mixed-use development project, is strategically located in the heart of Old Mahabalipuram Road at Taramani, the IT Central Business District of Chennai which is already home to over 100+ MNCs and top Indian companies.

DLF and GIC, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund (Government of Singapore) had entered into a strategic partnership to develop a rental assets portfolio with GIC as 1/3rd partner, under the consolidated portfolio of DLF Cyber City Developers (DCCDL), a subsidiary of DLF.

DCCDL, the joint venture of DLF-GIC, and TIDCO, announced the launch of this iconic development - DLF Downtown, Chennai with an investment of 5,000 crores, earlier this year.

Commenting on the new announcement, Sriram Khattar, Managing Director, DLF Rental Business, said the company will continue its passionate journey of providing safe and sustainable workspaces matching global standards.

The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 21 October 2020. Shares of DLF rose 2.8% to settle at Rs 172.15 yesterday.

DLF is India's leading real estate company with residential, commercial, and retail properties in 15 states and 24 cities.

Consolidated profit before tax (PBT) jumped 35.46% to Rs 33.54 crore in Q2 September 2020 over Q2 September 2019. Current tax expense for the quarter surged 64.55% year-on-year to Rs 8.59 crore. The Q2 result was declared after market hours today, 21 October 2020.

EBITDA jumped 29% to Rs 39.40 crore in Q2 FY21 as against Rs 30.60 crore in Q2 FY20. EBITDA margin improved to 21% in Q2 FY21 from 20% in Q2 FY20. PAT margin was flat at 14% in Q2 FY21 compared with Q2 FY20.

Commenting on the company's Q2FY21 performance, Tarak Patel, the managing director (MD) of GMM Pfaudler, has stated that: This has been a very strong quarter for us where we have managed to significantly improve revenue and profitability. The improvement in profitability is expected to continue on the back of incremental revenue, operating leverage, and some of our strategic initiatives paying off. Our Hyderabad manufacturing facility is now up and running and we expect to close the Pfaudler Inc acquisiton by the end of the year. We remain confident on the long-term prospects of the company.

The board of GMM Pfaudler has announced a payment of second interim dividend at Rs 1 per equity share. The company has fixed 29 October 2020 as the record date for the payment of interim dividend.

GMM Pfaudler has commenced operations at its glass lined equipment manufacturing facility at Nacharam, Hyderabad (Telangana) which it had acquired from De Dietrich Process Systems India (DDPSI) in July 2020. In addition to this facility, the company also operates two facilities in West India, one at Karamsad (Gujarat) and the other at Pune (Maharashtra).

Shares of GMM Pfaudler fell 0.58% to close at Rs 3,591.65 on BSE.

GMM Pfaudler is a leading supplier of process equipment to the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. The company holds a majority stake of 54% in the parent Pfaudler Group and is the market leader with more than five decades' experience in manufacturing glass lined equipment.

Consolidated profit before tax (PBT) soared 64.63% to Rs 1,464.98 crore in Q2 September 2020 as against Rs 889.84 crore in Q2 September 2019. Current tax expense for the quarter jumped 87.53% to Rs 317.67 crore as against Rs 169.39 crore in Q2 September 2019. The Q2 result was declared during trading hours today, 21 October 2020.

The company's strong quarterly performance is on the back of operational efficiencies and its ability to serve all India markets. UltraTech reported robust operating margins at 27% driven by both revenue growth and tight cost management. For the second quarter in a row, the Company has reduced net debt substantially. With prudent working capital management, and overall efficient operations, the company has shaved off Rs 4,728 crore of net debt in the first-half of this fiscal year. As it gradually resumed operations, post lifting of lockdown, UltraTech put together a detailed manual of standard operating procedures giving primacy to safety and laying down robust processes for efficient working conditions in its plants and offices.

Work on the company's 3.4 mtpa cement capacity addition in Odisha, Bihar and West Bengal has picked up pace and are expected to get commissioned during FY22, in a phased manner. The 14.6 mtpa cement plants acquired during the previous financial year have been integrated and now the company is investing in improving operations further.

Going ahead, the company said its capital and financial resources remain entirely protected and its liquidity position is adequately covered. UltraTech expects demand for cement to grow on the back of government's thrust on infrastructure and the expanding rural economy. The recent policy measures announced by the Reserve Bank of India to support the real estate sector will also aid demand. Given its pan-India presence, UltraTech is well positioned to benefit from demand recovery across the markets. UltraTech said it continues to remain committed to all its business associates.

UltraTech Cement manufactures a range of products that cater to construction needs from foundation to finish, including Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), Portland Blast Furnace Slag Cement (PSC), Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC), white cement including white cement-based products and ready-mix concrete.

On a consolidated basis, Dilip Buildcon's net profit tanked 49.7% to Rs 50.48 crore on 13.8% decrease in net sales to Rs 2,099.95 crore in Q1 June 2020 over Q1 June 2019.

Dilip Buildcon is engaged in the business of infrastructure facilities on engineering procurement and construction (EPC) basis. The scrip has surged 72.18% from its 52-week low of Rs 193.40 hit on 25 March 2020.

Mindtree Ltd, Responsive Industries Ltd, Prestige Estates Projects Ltd and Britannia Industries Ltd are among the other losers in the BSE's 'A' group today, 21 October 2020.

Amber Enterprises India Ltd crashed 6.32% to Rs 2301.95 at 14:54 IST.The stock was the biggest loser in the BSE's 'A' group.On the BSE, 36408 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 14734 shares in the past one month.

Mindtree Ltd lost 4.58% to Rs 1362.45. The stock was the second biggest loser in 'A' group.On the BSE, 1.81 lakh shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 1.19 lakh shares in the past one month.

Responsive Industries Ltd tumbled 4.43% to Rs 127.35. The stock was the third biggest loser in 'A' group.On the BSE, 9550 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 13098 shares in the past one month.

Prestige Estates Projects Ltd slipped 4.27% to Rs 248.95. The stock was the fourth biggest loser in 'A' group.On the BSE, 36177 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 25341 shares in the past one month.

Britannia Industries Ltd dropped 4.24% to Rs 3400.95. The stock was the fifth biggest loser in 'A' group.On the BSE, 71198 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 33353 shares in the past one month.

Profit before tax (PBT) surged 32.3% to Rs 368.93 in Q2 September 2020 from Rs 278.77 crore in Q2 September 2019. Current tax expense rose 82.76% to Rs 94.56 crore in Q2 September 2020 over Q2 September 2019. Colgate said excluding the one time impact of tax rate change in the previous year, the net profit growth is 32%.

Commenting on the performance, Ram Raghavan, MD at Colgate-Palmolive (India) said, We are very pleased with our performance as we continue to see momentum strengthening across the portfolio with domestic revenue growing at 7.1% this quarter. Our resilience and disciplined approach to managing all revenue and cost drivers, despite all the uncertainties and challenges around us drove improvements in key financial metrics with gross margins and EBITDA at 67.9% and 32% respectively.

All categories saw positive growth this quarter with Toothpaste continuing its accelerated performance, driven by strong brand fundamentals and household penetration. Our sharp focus aimed at fulfilling demand and ensuring uninterrupted access ensured agile and innovative approaches, specifically in our supply chain and distribution efforts.

Meanwhile, the company has declared an interim dividend of Rs 18 per equity share and the record date is on 2 November 2020.

Shares of Colgate-Palmolive were down 3.26% at Rs 1412.15 on BSE.

Colgate-Palmolive (India) is a provider of oral care products like toothpastes, toothpowder, mouthwash, toothbrushes and dental gel under the 'Colgate' brand.