The near-standstill in economic activity and the shuttering of many manufacturing units has not put the brakes on beverage consumption in the US.
Novelis Inc.’s beverage can production seems to be immune to the pandemic and may shore up parent Hindalco Industries’ (consolidated) operations.
After a 40% fall year to date, the Hindalco scrip has recovered 17% in the past week. Novelis’s contribution to its parent’s profitability is significant, accounting for about 70% of Hindalco’s consolidated Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization).
Hence, a disruption in its US business would have naturally hit Hindalco’s operating leverage quite hard. However, beverage cans constitute 63% of Novelis’s volumes, which is