Buy or sell: Stock recommendation by brokers for April 17, 2025

Jefferies has an ‘underperform’ rating on Mahanagar Gas with a target price at Rs 1,220. Analysts said APM gas allocation was reduced by 18%, leading to a 26% drop in CNG volume coverage. They projected flat EPS for FY25–27, driven by strong volume growth but compressed margin.
Nuvama has a ‘buy’ rating on ICICI Lombard General Insurance but with a reduced target price of Rs 2,100 from Rs 2,400 earlier. Analysts said the company reported a 10.2% annual growth in gross written premium which was impacted by weaker vehicle sales and deferred accounting of long-term products. They said loss ratio increased 298 basis points annually, 578 basis points quarterly to 71.6%, partially offset by lower expense ratios, while underwriting loss was at Rs 210 crore.
Nomura has a ‘buy’ recommendation on Aditya Birla Real Estatewith a target price of Rs 2,700. Analysts said Jan-March pre-sales at Rs 5,700 crore, up 96% on the year despite a strong base. The beat in pre-sales was driven by Birla Arika, Gurugram (Phase 1), which achieved record bookings of Rs 3,100 crore across 300+ units, along with strong launches in Bengaluru. The company also had its FY25 pre-sales at Rs 8,000 crore, up 101% on the year, which was at the top end of the company’s Rs 7,000–8,000 crore guidance.It also has a strong launch pipeline for FY26 with eight launches planned, including the third tower of flagship Niyaara Project in Worli.
Morgan Stanley has an ‘equal weight’ on IndusInd Bank with a target price of Rs 755. Analysts said that external audit confirms Indusind Bank’s derivative loss estimate at 2.35% of Oct-Dec FY25 net worth. Analysts said they will closely monitor findings from the comprehensive audit report for more clarity on discrepancies. They will also closely monitor upcoming Jan-March FY25 earnings for insights into margin, growth and asset quality outlook.
Investec has upgraded its rating on Eicher Motors to ‘hold’ from ‘sell’ and raised target price to Rs 5600 from Rs 4585 earlier. The increased on-the-ground aggression to widen total addressable market and margins likely bottoming out in Jan-March FY25. After underperforming the industry for four consecutive quarters, Royal Enfield is making a rebound, and volumes have seen a sharp jump in Oct-March FY25 at 15% versus motorcycle industry decline of -4% on an annual basis. Sharp uptick in demand was led by product alterations that is, launch of new and more affordable Bullet 350, increased marketing spends and launch of new variants.
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