WHIRLPOOL

Whirlpool of India Ltd WHIR.NS:

• WHIRLPOOL OF INDIA LTD - SECURES LONG-TERM BRAND LICENSE

Source text: ID:nNSE2TblqP

Further company coverage: WHIR.NS

Oct 14 - LG Electronics India LGEL.NS soared 50% in pre-open debut trade on Tuesday, as the country's most sought-after IPO since 2008 saw frenzied demand, with investors betting on its manufacturing muscle and retail reach.

Stock of the Indian arm of South Korea's LG Electronics 066570.KS opened at 1,710.10 rupees on the National Stock Exchange, compared with its issue price of 1,140 rupees.

(Reporting by Kashish Tandon and Mridula Kumar; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)

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The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are her own. Refiles to add topic codes.

By Ujjaini Dutta

BENGALURU, Oct 9 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Rich valuations are a defining feature of Indian equities. So, it’s eye-catching when a global company listing its subsidiary in the South Asian market shuns the lofty multiples on offer. That’s the decision South Korea’s LG Electronics 066570.KS took this week.

Few global brands are as embedded in Indian homes as the maker of refrigerators, microwaves, televisions and air conditioners. It is the country’s biggest white-goods retailer by sales and LG Electronics India LGEL.NS is more profitable than its rivals. Instead of leveraging that advantage, the South Korean group is accepting a steep valuation discount on the $1.3 billion offering of its shares in the unit.

The $9 billion market capitalisation it's set to secure almost matches its parent’s but values the subsidiary at about 35 times its trailing earnings. That is close to the multiple of distant rival Whirlpool India WHIR.NS, which is half as profitable, and compares to 65 times Havells India HVEL.NS and 57 times for Voltas. It's so cheap that the offer was fully subscribed on the first day of bidding; BlackRock and the sovereign funds of Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Norway led the charge.

True, competition in India is heating up. Over the last three years, LG Electronics India's market share has slipped just about two percentage points in its leading product segments as global brands from Haier to Samsung Electronics 005930.KS muscle in. Yet LG is growing in the emerging market in other ways. It’s opening a third factory, plans to export Made-in-India goods to Europe, and generates oodles of cash to fund those ambitions. New Delhi’s effort to sign more free trade agreements also will support its goals.

The South Korean group may have wanted to secure a strong secondary market performance but Hyundai Motor India HYUN.NS did that without short-changing existing owners: the stock is up nearly 30% on the offer price since its October debut. Investors in LG Electronics may ultimately feel the company gave away too much value.

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CONTEXT NEWS

LG Electronics' initial public offering of its Indian business was fully subscribed on the first day of bidding on October 7.

The offering, comprised entirely of existing shares, is worth up to 116 billion rupees ($1.3 billion). At the upper end of the price band, the company will have an IPO market capitalisation of $8.73 billion.

(Editing by Una Galani; Production by Aditya Srivastav)

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** Consumer durables NIFTY .NIFCODU rises 0.66% as India reduces GST on ACs, dishwashers, and many TVs to 18% from 28%

** Sub-index set to rise for sixth straight session

** Cut bodes well from long-term perspective for sector, especially for AC companies as it is significantly under-penetrated - ICICI Securities

** Adds, Voltas VOLT.NS, Blue Star BLUS.NS and Whirlpool WHIR.NS direct beneficiaries, as festive season looms

** VOLT down 0.7%; WHIR, BLUS rise 1.8% and 1.4%, respectively

** Footwear retailer Bata India BATA.NS gains most on index at 6.3%; Goldman Sachs says GST on 40% of Bata's sales under 1,000 rupees will drop to 5% from 12%, most of rest under 2,500 rupees will move to 5% from 18%

** Index up 8.4% since GST plans announced on Aug 15

(Reporting by Urvi Dugar)

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- Source link: (https://bitl.to/4ixR)

- Note: Reuters has not verified this story and does not vouch for its accuracy

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** Whirlpool of India WHIR.NS gains 2% to 1,318 rupees

** Appliances maker beat fourth-quarter earnings estimates on strong demand for its cooling products ahead of summer

** Avg rating of analysts on WHIR is "buy"; median PT is 1,275 rupees - data compiled by LSEG

** Stock trims YTD losses to 29.6%

(Reporting by Kashish Tandon in Bengaluru)

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May 20 (Reuters) - Whirlpool of India Ltd WHIR.NS:

• WHIRLPOOL OF INDIA LTD - BOARD RECOMMENDS FINAL DIVIDEND OF 5 RUPEES PER SHARE

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** Shares of Whirlpool of India WHIR.NS rises 8.7% to 1,304 rupees

** Bain Capital, TPG, Carlyle, KKR, Advent International among private equity funds vying for stake in the Indian arm of Whirlpool WHR.N, Economic Times reports

** Whirlpool had previously announced plans to halve its stake in the Indian unit to 20%

** Bain, TPG, Carlyle, KKR, Advent and Whirlpool did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment

** About 1.6 mln shares traded vs 30-day avg of ~600,000

** YTD, WHIR has fallen 29%

(Reporting by Hritam Mukherjee and Yagnoseni Das in Bengaluru)

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Rewrites with information from a source with direct knowledge of the matter

By Aditya Kalra and Heekyong Yang

NEW DELHI/SEOUL, April 23 (Reuters) - South Korea's LG Electronics 066570.KS has delayed its Indian unit's LGEL.NS IPO plans due to market volatility and is now targeting launching the offering in the second or third quarter of fiscal year 2025-2026, instead of May, a source with direct knowledge said on Wednesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump's on-again-off-again tariffs have sparked trade uncertainty and roiled markets globally, with India's benchmark Nifty 50 index .NSEI roughly 8% off its record high hit in September 2024.

LG Electronics' India unit filed for an initial public offering in December, and had targeted to launch the offering in May to cash in on the country's growing demand for consumer durables.

That timeline is now delayed, said the source, who declined to be named as the discussions are private.

"The timeline is (now) being shifted. The tentative (target) now is second quarter of financial year 2026, and can even be pushed to the third quarter," said the source.

"The timeline is on pause given the market sentiment because of Trump and tariffs," the person added, saying roadshows and investor engagements for the IPO would continue.

In a statement, LG said procedures for its India IPO were currently underway and "the final decision on the listing will be made based on market conditions and other relevant factors."

"No definitive plans have been confirmed at this time. We are closely monitoring the market and will consider a strategic timing that ensures a proper valuation of the company," it added.

Bloomberg News, which was the first to report that the company has paused work on the IPO of its Indian unit, said that the local unit's valuation could have dipped to between $10.5 billion and $11.5 billion, versus earlier expectations for as much as $15 billion.

This week, Indian e-scooter maker Ather Energy ATHR.NS cut its fresh share sale size in its IPO by 15%, slashing its target valuation by 44%.

LG Electronics sells consumer appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines in India and competes with Whirlpool WHR.N, WHIR.NS and Samsung 005930.KS in the domestic market, expected to grow 12% annually till 2029, according to consultancy firm RedSeer.

(Reporting by Aditya Kalra in New Delhi, Hritam Mukherjee in Bengaluru and Heekyong Yang in Seoul; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee and Mrigank Dhaniwala)

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Feb 4 (Reuters) - Whirlpool of India Ltd WHIR.NS:

• WHIRLPOOL OF INDIA Q3 CONSOL NET PROFIT 439.6 MILLION RUPEES; IBES EST. 476.2 MILLION RUPEES

• WHIRLPOOL OF INDIA Q3 CONSOL REVENUE FROM OPERATIONS 17.05 BILLION RUPEES; IBES EST. 17.21 BILLION RUPEES

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Further company coverage: WHIR.NS

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** Whirlpool of India WHIR.NS up 3.7% at 1219.95 rupees

** Jefferies raises to 'hold' from 'underperform', saying budget's income tax cuts is positive for consumer durables demand

** Says WHIR's valuation is better after sharp ~35% slide as parent Whirlpool WHR.N cuts stake; adds that could give WHIR more autonomy

** Raises FY26-27 EPS estimates by 5-8%, with FY25-27 profit CAGR at +22%

** Stock rated 'buy' on avg by 12 analysts, mean PT of 2032 implies a ~67% upside -LSEG

(Reporting by Ananta Agarwal in Bengaluru)

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Adds stock movement in first and last paragraphs, background on Whirlpool and shareholder information in paragraphs 3-5

Jan 30 (Reuters) - Whirlpool Corp WHR.N said it would more than halve its stake in its Indian unit to about 20%, sending Whirlpool of India's WHIR.NS shares plunging an exchange-allowed maximum of 20% to a near ten-month low on Thursday.

The U.S.-listed home appliance maker, which currently has a 51% stake in the India unit, said it estimates net cash proceeds of $550 million to $600 million from the sale, which it expects to close by mid-to-late 2025.

The company will remain Whirlpool of India's largest shareholder, followed by a number of mutual funds with stakes of less than 10%.

Whirlpool Corp sold a 24% stake in the Indian unit for about $468 million last year and the latest sale comes as it aims to pay off a major chunk of its debt amid a major rejig of its global assets, including folding its European business into a new firm and selling its Middle Eastern and African businesses.

Whirlpool Corp, which has dues worth $1.85 billion in 2025, also said it expects to pay down about $700 million after the stake sale.

"In 2025, our clear capital allocation priorities along with the anticipated India transaction will maximize shareholder value and further strengthen our balance sheet," Whirlpool Corp said.

Whirlpool of India's stock crashed on Dec. 1, 2023, after Whirlpool Corp said it would sell the 24% stake. But, since then, it recovered all those losses as of its close on Wednesday.

The stock was last trading at 1,260.80 rupees on Thursday afternoon, about 20% lower since Whirlpool announced its first stake sale and 64% off analysts' average 12-month price target for the stock, per LSEG data.

(Reporting by Ashish Chandra in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Savio D'Souza)

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** PG Electroplast PGEL.NS rises as much as 5.3% at 1,001 rupees

** Consumer electronics maker and Whirlpool of India WHIR.NS sign deal to contract manufacture select Whirlpool-branded semi-automatic washing machines at PGEL's Roorkee plant

** No financial details have been disclosed yet

** Stock set to gain for second straight month; added 38.1% so far in December

** PGEL rated "buy" on avg; median PT is 679.5 rupees - LSEG

** Stock last up 4.9%, extending YTD gains to 320%

(Reporting by Meenakshi Maidas in Bengaluru)

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Dec 23 (Reuters) - PG Electroplast Ltd PGEL.NS:

• PG ELECTROPLAST LTD - TO MANUFACTURE WHIRLPOOL SKUS AT ROORKEE FACTORY

• PG ELECTROPLAST LTD - WHIRLPOOL, PG ELECTROPLAST JOIN HANDS

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Further company coverage: PGEL.NS

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Corrects paragraph 5 of Dec. 6 story to say foreign investors turned net "buyers", not "sellers"

By Manvi Pant and Hritam Mukherjee

Dec 6 (Reuters) - The Indian unit of South Korea's LG Electronics 066570.KS filed for an initial public offering on Friday to cash in on the country's growing demand for consumer durables amid higher appetite for IPOs.

The Indian firm said its parent company will sell 101.8 million shares as part of the offering. No new shares will be issued for sale.

The IPO for LG Electronics India, which sells washing machines and refrigerators, is valued at 152.37 billion rupees ($1.80 billion), as per a Moneycontrol report, ranking it among the top five in the country this year.

About 298 companies listed on the Indian bourses have raised $16.65 billion in 2024, as per data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence - more than double the amount raised last year.

However, Indian stock markets, which saw a recent downtrend, have since moderated as foreign investors turned net buyers last month. This volatility in market conditions poses some risk for the IPO's listing, said Mahesh Ojha, research analyst at Hensex Securities.

"LG faces increasing competition against its rivals and the focus would now be on pricing for the IPO," Ojha added.

India's appliances and electronics market is projected to grow about 12% in the next five years, as per LG's analysis, which cited Bangalore-based consultancy firm RedSeer.

The growth in the sector is expected to unfold on the back of increasing penetration of appliances and electronics in both urban and rural areas, the draft prospectus showed.

LG Electronics India competes with Whirlpool of India WHIR.NS, Samsung's 005930.KS India unit among others in the domestic market, and reported a profit of 15.11 billion rupees in the last fiscal, 12% higher than fiscal 2023.

Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan, BofA Securities and Citi are among the IPO's lead book-running managers.

($1 = 84.6650 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Manvi Pant in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Janane Venkatraman)

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Nov 8 (Reuters) - Whirlpool of India Ltd WHIR.NS:

• SEPT-QUARTER CONSOL NET PROFIT 520.2 MILLION RUPEES

• SEPT-QUARTER CONSOL REVENUE FROM OPERATIONS 17.13 BILLION RUPEES

Source text: ID:nNSE9sg0XV

Further company coverage: WHIR.NS

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Sept 19 (Reuters) - Elica SpA ELC.MI:

• SELLS 4.78% STAKE IN ELICA PB INDIA TO WHIRLPOOL OF INDIA FOR EUR 8.2 MILLION

• ELICA AND GROUP OF OTHER INDIAN MINORITY SHAREHOLDERS TO KEEP STAKE OF AROUND 1.59 % EACH

• DISTRIBUTION OF BRAND IN INDIA, NEPAL, BANGLADESH MANAGED BY WHIRLPOOL OF INDIA UNTIL 2038, WITH ROYALTY MECHANISM BOOSTING ELICA EPS

Further company coverage: ELC.MI

(Gdansk Newsroom)

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** India's small- and mid-cap firms in Jefferies' coverage universe post 36% EPS growth in June-qtr, with over 50% beating expectations

** Says top performers were electronics makers like Kaynes KAYN.NS, Amber Enterprises AMBE.NS and Dixon DIXO.NS

** Second-best were summer beneficiaries Voltas VOLT.NS, Blue Star BLUS.NS, Whirlpool of India WHIR.NS, Crompton Greaves CROP.NS, Havells HVEL.NS and V Guard VGUA.NS

** Third-best were capex and housing-linked firms like Polycab POLC.NS, Supreme Industries SUPI.NS, Pidilite PIDI.NS

** Says its top picks are V Guard, Supreme Industries, Amber Industries

** Has "buy" ratings on Voltas, Blue Star and Finolex Cables FNXC.NS

(Reporting by Bharath Rajeswaran in Bengaluru)

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July 29 (Reuters) - Whirlpool of India Ltd WHIR.NS:

• WHIRLPOOL OF INDIA Q1 CONSOL NET PROFIT 1.44 BILLION RUPEES; IBES EST. 1.27 BILLION RUPEES

• WHIRLPOOL OF INDIA Q1 CONSOL REVENUE FROM OPERATIONS 24.97 BILLION RUPEES; IBES EST. 23.06 BILLION RUPEES

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June 27 (Reuters) - Whirlpool of India Ltd WHIR.NS:

• CLARIFICATION ON "BOSCH WEIGHS OFFER FOR APPLIANCE MAKER WHIRLPOOL, SAY SOURCES"

• SAID NEWS ARTICLE RELATES TO OUR ULTIMATE HOLDING COMPANY I.E. WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION, US AND NOT WHIRLPOOL OF INDIA

• WE DO NOT COMMENT ON MARKET RUMORS OR SPECULATION

Further company coverage: WHIR.NS

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** Shares of Whirlpool of India Ltd WHIR.NS rise as much as 2.8% to 1,837.80 rupees, hitting its highest since Sept. 8, 2022

** Home appliances maker says, it has entered into a joint marketing agreement with Hindustan Unilever Ltd HLL.NS for developing joint marketing programs, product sampling, advertorials etc

** Adds, marketing agreement will initially be in force for 3 years, which may be renewed on terms mutually

** Stock on track to gain for 7th straight day

** More than 369,000 shares traded as of 11:44 a.m. IST, ~28% over their 30-day moving avg of 288,049 shares

** Mean rating of 12 analysts rating the stock is "hold"; their median PT is 1,470 rupees, 25% lesser than today's high - LSEG data

** WHIR last up 1.8%, adding to YTD gains of 33.2%

(Reporting by Meenakshi Maidas in Bengaluru)

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June 12 (Reuters) - Hindustan Unilever Ltd HLL.NS:

• ENTERED INTO A JOINT MARKETING AGREEMENT WITH HINDUSTAN UNILEVER

• HUL AND CO WILL ROLL OUT JOINT MARKETING PROGRAMS, ADVERTORIALS, PRODUCT SAMPLING IN CONSULTATION WITH EACH OTHER

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** Shares of Whirlpool of India WHIR.NS up 2.6% to 1,619.9 rupees

** Co's Q4 EBITDA margin increases 200bps YoY to 8.3%; consolidated net profit up 24% YoY

** Net profit impacted by one-time item of 189.1 mln rupees due to losses from a fire at co's warehouse in Delhi

** Rivals Havells India HVEL.NS and Blue Star BLUS.NS report rise in Q4 profit, Voltas VOLT.NS profit down

** BLUS only "buy"-rated stock among the four, rest rated "hold" - LSEG data

** WHIR up ~18% YTD; HVEL, BLUS, VOlT up between ~33% and ~68%

(Reporting by Varun Vyas in Bengaluru)

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May 20 (Reuters) - Whirlpool of India Ltd WHIR.NS:

• MARCH-QUARTER CONSOL NET PROFIT 775.9 MILLION RUPEES VERSUS PROFIT 626.8 MILLION RUPEES

• MARCH-QUARTER CONSOL REVENUE FROM OPERATIONS 17.34 BILLION RUPEES; LSEG IBES EST. 18.66 BILLION RUPEES

• DIVIDEND 5 RUPEES/SHR

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March 26 (Reuters) - Whirlpool of India Ltd WHIR.NS:

• FIRE BROKE OUT IN THE ALIPUR AREA OF DELHI THAT ALSO SPREAD TO A WAREHOUSE

• NO HUMAN INJURIES OR CASUALTIES

• NOT EXPECTED TO HAVE ANY MATERIAL BEARING ON THE OPERATIONS

• HAS ADEQUATE INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR INVENTORY DAMAGE

• FIRE SPREAD TO A WAREHOUSE WHERE CO’S PRODUCTS WERE STORED

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Adds chart of top purchases and sales by mutual funds

** India's HDFC Bank HDBK.NS was the top buy for Indian mutual funds in Feb, with purchases worth 82.8 bln rupees (~$999 mln), Nuvama says in a note

** That came after HDFC Bank's shares slid 14% in Jan and 4% in Feb following dissappointing Q3 results

** Mutual funds sold 22.9 bln rupees worth Sun Pharma SUN.NS shares in Feb and 6.5 bln rupees of Bandhan Bank BANH.NS, Nuvama Alternative & Quantitative Research says

** Adds fund houses bought 30.7 bln rupees of Whirlpool of India shares WHIR.NS; US-based Whirlpool WHR.N sold a chunk of its stake in its India unit in Feb

** TCS TCS.NS, Bharat Petroleum BPCL.NS, Axis Bank AXBK.NS and Maruti Suzuki MRTI.NS were among top additions in large caps, Nuvama says

** Top reductions included Bajaj Finance BJFN.NS, Mahindra and Mahindra MAHM.NS, Infosys INFY.NS, says Nuvama

($1 = 82.8900 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Sethuraman NR in Bengaluru)

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** Shares of home appliances maker Whirlpool of India WHIR.NS fall 2% to 1,235.1 rupees, lowest level since mid-2017

** Jefferies analyst Sonali Salgaonkar downgrades stock to "underperform" from "hold"

** Flags hyper-competitive market for consumer durables in India, higher price elasticity amid weak demand

** Slashes PT to 1,125 rupees from 1,265 rupees, which is ~17% below median of 1,360 rupees from 12 analysts, including Jefferies - LSEG

** Salgaonkar is the top rated among 12 analysts for recommendations on PT, according to LSEG data

** WHIR has declined 21.5% since parent Whirlpool WHR.N in Nov said it would sell 24% stake

** Analysts' median PT on co has been declining for three straight months since then

(Reporting by Manvi Pant in Bengaluru)

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** Whirlpool of India shares WHIR.NS down 4% at 1,277.65 rupees, among top Nifty 500 .NIFTY500 losers

** US-based parent Whirlpool WHR.N to sell 24% stake in WHIR at 1,230 rupees/shr, 7.6% discount to Mon close, Reuters reports

** The $451 mln sale will be via block deals this week, Reuters reports

** Whirlpool of India stock had already fallen 15.3% since Nov. 30 when Whirlpool said it would sell stake

** Since then, analysts' avg rating has stayed at "hold" but median price target has dropped ~7% to 1,360 rupees - LSEG data

** Median PT is ~11% higher than selling price for stake

(Reporting by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru)

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Feb 19 (Reuters) - Whirlpool of India Ltd WHIR.NS:

• WHIRLPOOL TO SELL UP TO 24% STAKE WORTH $451 MILLION IN INDIA UNIT VIA BLOCK DEAL - TERM SHEET

• WHIRLPOOL TO SELL INDIA STAKE AT 1,230 RUPEESPER SHARE, A 7.6% DISCOUNT TO MONDAY'S CLOSE - TERM SHEET

• GOLDMAN SACHS ADVISING ON WHIRLPOOL INDIA STAKE SALE - TERM SHEET

• WHIRLPOOL INDIA DEAL TO CLOSE TUESDAY, SETTLEMENT BY WEDNESDAY- TERM SHEET

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BENGALURU, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Whirlpool of India Ltd WHIR.NS reported a nearly 13% jump in its third-quarter profit on Friday, supported by upbeat domestic demand for white goods.

Consolidated net profit rose to 279.9 million rupees ($3.38 million) in the quarter ended Dec. 31, from 246.9 million rupees a year earlier.

Revenue from operations in Whirlpool's Indian unit rose nearly 18% to 15.36 billion rupees for the first time in four quarters.

For further results highlights, click nBSE39m5VW

KEY CONTEXT

Sales of cooling products like room air conditioners and refrigerators are expected to increase by a high single-digit percentage yearly, analysts said, adding that numerous brands are ramping up inventory in preparation for the summer season.

Competition in the white goods sector has significantly increased after new players with strong financial backing entered the market, and premium brands introducing products in the mass segment.

Parent company Whirlpool Corporation WHR.N said last November that it will sell up to 24% of its stake in its Indian unit in a bid to reduce debt.

The company also reported a profit decline in the previous four quarters.

Peer Voltas VOLT.NS reported a fall in its third-quarter profit on Tuesday, dented by higher costs.

PEER COMPARISON

* Mean of analysts' ratings standardised to a scale of "strong buy", "buy", "hold", "sell", and "strong sell"
** Ratio of the stock's last close to analysts' mean price target; a ratio above 1 means the stock is trading above the PT

OCTOBER-DECEMBER STOCK PERFORMANCE

-- All data from LSEG

-- $1 = 82.8550 rupees

($1 = 82.8550 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Yagnoseni Das in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

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