ITC

ITC Limited is one of India’s largest private sector companies, headquartered in Kolkata. Formerly known as Imperial Tobacco Company of India Limited, ITC was registered as a British-owned company on August 24, 1910. ITC was later incorporated as India Tobacco Company Limited in 1970, followed by another revamp to the now ITC Limited in 1974.

Primarily incorporated as a tobacco trader, ITC has now diversified into a hotels-to-cigarettes conglomerate with businesses spanning across segments. The company is a major player in fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), hotels, packaging, agri-business and information technology sectors.

It ranks among India’s top 10 most valuable companies by market capitalisation. The company’s market capitalisation stood at more than ₹5.66 lakh crore as of December 12, 2023. ITC Limited share price has surged nearly 110% in the past three years.

ITC’s Board of Directors approved the demerger of the company’s hotel business in July 2023, paving the way for the formation of ITC Hotels, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the conglomerate.

ITC business operations

ITC has a pioneering presence across multiple business sectors, with major subsidiaries including:

ITC Infotech Surya Nepal Landbase India Srinivasa Resorts Fortune Park Hotels WelcomHotels Lanka (Sri Lanka) Technico Pty Russell Credit

The company’s major business segments include FMCG, hotels, agri products, and packaging materials.

FMCG

The FMCG segment constitutes a large part of ITC’s business empire, having crafted a portfolio of a total of 25 major brands with a sizable market share. Some of the popular brands under this business include Aashirvaad Atta, Sunfeast, Bingo!, YiPPee!, GumOn Chewing Gum, and Sunbean Gourmet Coffee.

It forayed into the dairy segment with the launch of Aashirvaad Svasti Ghee in November 2015, and into the luxury chocolate space via Fabelle chocolates in April 2016. ITC launched the first-of-its-kind spices in India, under the brand name ITC MasterChef super safe spices in February 2017.

Hotels

ITC forayed into the hotel business in 1975 by acquiring a hotel in Chennai, now renamed Welcomhotel by ITC Hotels. The entry into the sector was targeted to unlock the company’s potential to earn high levels of foreign exchange and create tourism infrastructure.

ITC has a leadership position in this segment, with over 115 owned and managed properties across India under six brands – ITC Hotels, Mementos, Welcomhotel, Storii, Fortune Hotels and WelcomHeritage.

Agri Businesses

ITC launched its agri-business wing in 1990 for the export of agri-commodities. The company is India’s second-largest exporter in the sector primarily dealing in:

Feed ingredients - Soyameal Food grains – wheat, wheat flour, rice, pulses, barley and maize Marine products - shrimps and prawns Processed fruits - fruit purees/concentrates, frozen fruits, organic fruit products Coffee

Paperboards and speciality papers

This division is India’s largest and most eco-friendly and technologically advanced paper and paperboard business. ITC entered the segment in 1979 and currently offers FMCG cartons, electrical insulation papers, bio-based barrier coated board, decorative laminate bases, writing and printing papers.

Financial highlights

ITC’s total revenue for the financial year ended March 31, 2023 (FY23) gained 16.65% at ₹72,917.3 crore from ₹62,504.4 crore in the preceding fiscal. Its net profit surged 26% in FY23 to ₹19,191.7 crore on a year-on-year basis from ₹15,242.7 crore in FY22. The operating profit margin of 35.2% in FY23 was higher than 33.05% reported in FY22. ITC’s earnings per share (EPS) stood at ₹15.5 in FY23 compared to ₹12.4 recorded in the previous financial year.