Stock Market News Today Live Updates: GIFT Nifty Points To Positive Open For Nifty, Sensex; Brent Near $106 Ahead Of Trump-Xi Meeting

• NLC India’s consolidated net profit rose to Rs 1,394 crore in Q4 from Rs 482 crore a year earlier. Revenue increased 31.5% year-on-year to Rs 5,043 crore.
• EBITDA rose to Rs 1,775 crore from Rs 861 crore, while margin expanded 1,270 basis points to 35.2%.

Macquarie maintained an Outperform rating on HPCL with a target price of Rs 510, citing a stable quarter led by a stronger-than-expected refining margin. It estimated that India’s oil marketing companies are losing Rs 18 per litre on petrol and Rs 35 per litre on diesel sales.

Citi maintained a Buy rating but cut its target price to Rs 485 from Rs 595. It said Q4 was ahead of expectations, helped by refining and marketing inventory gains, while near-term pressure remains a key factor.

• Kotak maintained a Buy rating on Cipla with a target price of Rs 1,625, saying Q4 was operationally in line and domestic growth stood at 15% year-on-year. It said U.S. guidance was better than expected.
• Morgan Stanley maintained an Underweight rating and cut its target price to Rs 1,218 from Rs 1,237. The brokerage said earnings were weak, with EBITDA margin down 250 basis points sequentially due to higher staff costs.

Oil India’s consolidated net profit rose 75.7% sequentially to Rs 2,100 crore in Q4, while revenue increased 9.9% to Rs 10,013 crore.

EBITDA rose 30.7% to Rs 3,281 crore, and margin expanded 530 basis points to 32.8%. The company’s arm formed a joint venture with Hindustan Waste Treatment to develop compressed biogas projects.

Goldman Sachs maintained a Buy rating on TVS Motor and raised its target price to Rs 4,150 from Rs 4,100. Morgan Stanley kept an Overweight rating with a target price of Rs 4,327, while Jefferies maintained Buy with a target of Rs 4,500.

Kotak maintained an Add rating but cut its target price to Rs 3,925 from Rs 4,000. Brokerages cited domestic two-wheeler demand, exports, capacity expansion and premium products, while also flagging commodity cost pressure as a margin risk.

• Jefferies maintained a Buy rating on Crompton Consumer and raised its target price to Rs 330 from Rs 290, saying an operational beat was offset by an exceptional loss. Citi also maintained a Buy rating and raised its target price to Rs 400 from Rs 375, citing demand growth and new category tailwinds.
• Morgan Stanley maintained an Equal-weight rating with a target price of Rs 285. It said Crompton’s Q4 beat was led by the ECD segment and flagged demand volatility and input cost inflation as key monitorables.

• Kotak initiated coverage on Meesho with a Reduce rating and a target price of Rs 195.
• The brokerage said Meesho is a large horizontal platform with 264 million annual transacting customers and an asset-light, value-focused model. It expects 28% net merchandise value CAGR over FY26–29 and EBITDA breakeven in FY29, but said these positives appear priced in.

• Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 534 crore in Q4, compared with a profit of Rs 169.5 crore a year earlier. The company recorded a one-time loss of Rs 716 crore during the quarter.
• Revenue rose 10.8% year-on-year to Rs 2,283 crore, while EBITDA increased 1.1% to Rs 271 crore. Margin narrowed 110 basis points to 11.9%. The board declared a dividend of Rs 3 per share.

• Morgan Stanley maintained an Underweight rating on LIC Housing Finance with a target price of Rs 450.
• The brokerage said Q4 profit beat estimates, while loan growth slowed to 4% year-on-year. It said net interest margin and asset quality held up, but loan growth remains a structural challenge.

• CLSA maintained an Outperform rating on Kaynes Technology with a target price of Rs 4,200.
• The brokerage said Kaynes missed estimates across key parameters in Q4 and flagged weak growth and balance sheet trends. It expects the stock to react negatively to the results.

• Kaynes Technology’s consolidated net profit fell 21.5% year-on-year to Rs 91.2 crore in Q4, while revenue rose 26.2% to Rs 1,242.6 crore.
• EBITDA increased 15.4% to Rs 193.7 crore, while margin narrowed 140 basis points to 15.6%. The company reappointed Jairam Paravastu Sampath as Whole-Time Director for five years.

• Jefferies maintained a Buy rating on Bharti Airtel and raised its target price to Rs 2,350 from Rs 2,250. The brokerage said revenue and EBITDA beat estimates, while profit missed expectations.
• Macquarie maintained an Outperform rating with a target price of Rs 2,220. It said Q4 was in line, though ARPU and capex optics were softer, and expects the stock to move sideways to lower in the short term.

• Bharti Airtel’s consolidated net profit rose 10.5% sequentially to Rs 7,325 crore in Q4, while revenue increased 2.6% to Rs 55,383 crore.
• EBITDA rose 2.3% to Rs 31,492 crore, while margin narrowed 10 basis points to 56.9%. The board declared a final dividend of Rs 24 per share.

Citi said weak monsoons can affect agriculture and reduce sales of consumer staples and tractors, while raising demand for air conditioners and electricity. It said the impact on two-wheeler sales and construction is mixed.

The brokerage said rural demand shows cyclical and structural resilience to deficient monsoons. Citi remains underweight on staples and paints, and neutral on autos.

Trade issues on the agenda include the U.S.-China tariff truce, technology restrictions, rare earth supplies and possible increases in U.S. purchases by China.

The talks are also expected to cover Taiwan, the Iran war and maritime security, including the Strait of Hormuz. Business leaders including Elon Musk, Tim Cook and Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg will join Trump, linking the talks to corporate supply chains.

• Bharti Hexacom’s net profit fell 5.8% sequentially to Rs 447 crore in Q4, while revenue rose 2.3% to Rs 2,414 crore.
• EBITDA increased 1% to Rs 1,267 crore, while margin narrowed 70 basis points to 52.5%. The board declared a final dividend of Rs 18 per share.

• Jefferies maintained a Hold rating on IIFL Finance and raised its target price to Rs 520 from Rs 500.
• The brokerage said IIFL Finance has received a tax demand and plans to appeal the order. It said clarity on the liability could ease the overhang, while near-term valuation upside may remain limited.

• Jefferies’ Mahesh Nandurkar said continued FPI selling has affected several stocks, and flows may take time to improve due to India’s valuation and growth outlook relative to Asia.
• The brokerage screened for stocks where ownership has shifted from FPIs to domestic institutions, saying this could reduce the impact of further FPI selling. It cited Eternal, Kotak Bank, JSW Energy, IndiGo and Godrej Consumer among preferred stocks in this group.

• Q4 earnings will put Bharti Airtel, Crompton Consumer, Oil India, Metropolis Healthcare, Inventurus Knowledge, Balaji Amines, DLF, Tata Motors CV and Kaynes Technology in focus.
• Investors will also track stock-specific updates in Zydus Lifesciences, VA Tech Wabag, Lupin, Max Estates, Easy Trip Planners, NBCC, PNC Infratech and Bajel Projects. Dairy stocks will be watched after Amul raised milk prices by Rs 2, while sugar stocks will be in focus after India banned sugar exports until September 2026.

Sensex expiry, India’s WPI data, the Trump-Xi meeting in China and the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting will be in focus during the session.

Investors will also track U.S. initial jobless claims and Q4 earnings from JSW Steel, Tata Motors PV, United Spirits, HAL and Voltas. Board meetings on fundraising, a CMS Info Systems buyback and a TD Power Systems stock split will also be watched.

• Bharti Airtel’s board approved issuing up to 14.6 crore shares worth Rs 28,220 crore to Indian Continent Investment as part of a stock swap for a 16.31% stake in Airtel Africa. The board also reappointed Sunil Bharti Mittal as Chairman for five years from Oct. 1.

• Zydus Lifesciences will consider a share buyback on May 19, while Zydus Worldwide will acquire Assertio Holdings for $166.4 million. Lupin received U.S. FDA approval for Famotidine Injection vials.

• IDBI Bank will consider raising up to Rs 10,000 crore through long-term bonds. Easy Trip Planners approved a Rs 500 crore rights issue, while Jana Small Finance Bank will consider fundraising options on May 18.

• Allied Blenders and Distillers, Chalet Hotels, Hindustan Construction Company, JSW Steel and Welspun Enterprises will hold board meetings to consider fundraising.
• CMS Info Systems will consider a buyback, while TD Power Systems will consider a stock split.

• Setu Securities bought 5.5 lakh shares of Baazar Style Retail at Rs 412.79 apiece on Wednesday.
• In Veranda Learning Solutions, Authum Investment & Infrastructure sold 24.6 lakh shares at Rs 220.68 apiece, while Mundhra Homes bought 22.7 lakh shares at Rs 220.17 apiece.

Sasken Technologies has been shortlisted under the short-term ASM framework. Allied Blenders and Distillers, Apollo Micro Systems and Man Industries will be excluded from the ASM framework.

• Indian markets are set for a range-bound opening as investors track the Trump-Xi meeting in China, mixed Asian cues and higher U.S. futures.
• Crude held near $106 a barrel, while the rupee and yields are expected to remain under pressure. FIIs remained sellers in the cash market for the seventh straight day, with short positions unchanged at 89%.

• Oil prices steadied on Thursday as investors awaited a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Concerns over the Iran war continued to support crude prices.
• Brent crude traded below $106 a barrel after falling 2% in the previous session, while West Texas Intermediate was near $101.

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Indian equity benchmarks closed slightly higher on Wednesday after moving between gains and losses during the session. The Nifty 50 rose 33.05 points, or 0.14%, to 23,412.60, while the Sensex gained 49.74 points, or 0.07%, to 74,608.98.

GIFT Nifty traded at 23,573, compared with Wednesday’s Nifty 50 close of 23,412.60. The move indicated a higher start for Indian equity benchmarks.