Thematic | 26 September 2025
Cables and Wires
Steady demand outlook; pricing gains boost revenue growth
Our recent conference and subsequent discussions with participants in the
cables & wires (C&W) industry indicate a continued robust demand momentum.
This growth is driven by the power sector, infrastructure investments, emerging
segments such as EVs and data centers, and an improving real estate demand.
While investors have expressed concerns about the sustainability of this
momentum in recent quarters, we believe the inherent demand drivers remain
intact. Key factors supporting this momentum include: 1) infrastructure
development through investments in roads and railways; 2) expansion in the
power sector, particularly renewable energy and T&D capex; and 3) growth in
new avenues, such as data centers and electric vehicles, alongside ongoing
traction in real estate and individual housing.
Competitive intensity in the sector is unlikely to be as high as initially
anticipated, despite entry announcements by new players such as UTCEM and
the Adani Group. UTCEM has since clarified that it does not intend to accelerate
its planned INR18b investment beyond what was announced in Feb’25 for its
foray into the C&W sector. Similarly, no concrete plans have emerged from the
Adani Group following the establishment of Praneetha Ecocables, a JV by its
subsidiary Kutch Copper in Mar’25. As we highlighted in our note
(Link)
published on 12th Jun’25, the incremental supply is expected to be absorbed by
strong demand growth in the sector.
We believe that sustained raw material (RM) price increases, which are largely
passed through to consumers, have supported revenue growth for C&W
companies—a trend reflected in the sectoral performance over the past few
years. Last month, copper/aluminum prices increased ~3%, with average prices
in 2QFY26 (QTD) rising ~6%/9% QoQ and ~10%/14% YoY for copper/aluminum,
respectively. We expect this to translate into price increases of ~3% for wires
and ~4-5% for cables in the near term. The combination of rising RM prices and
healthy volume growth is expected to sustain robust revenue growth in 2QFY26.
Rating upgrade to BUY for KEII, maintain on POLYCAB (BUY) and RRKABEL
(Neutral)
Considering a robust 2QFY26, we upgrade our EPS estimates POLYCAB, KEII, and
RRKABEL by ~3-5% for FY26E and ~2-4% for FY27E/28E. Valuation seems
reasonable at 37x FY27E EPS and 31-32x FY28E for POLYCAB/ KEII. RRKABEL
trades at 30x/25x FY27/28E EPS.
Considering continued growth momentum, lower-than-initially anticipated
competitive intensity, reasonable valuations, and the stock’s underperformance
over the past year (triggered by concerns of increasing competition), we upgrade
KEII to BUY from Neutral. We reiterate our BUY rating on POLYCAB and Neutral
rating on RRKABEL. We continue to believe that the sector’s demand tailwinds
will persist for several more years.
Sanjeev Kumar Singh - Research analyst
(Sanjeev.Singh@MotilalOswal.com)
Research analyst: Mudit Agarwal
(Mudit.Agarwal@MotilalOswal.com)
| Abhishek Sheth
(Abhishek.Sheth@MotilalOswal.com)
Investors are advised to refer through important disclosures made at the last page of the Research Report.
MotilalOswal research is available on www.motilaloswal.com/Institutional-Equities, Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters, Factset and S&P Capital.