Top 10 Blue Chip Companies in India
In Indian stock market, the stocks can be categorized into many groups. Based on the market capitalization, they can be defined as small-cap, mid-cap, and large-cap companies. Nonetheless, there is one specific sort of stocks which gets a lot of attention from every kind of investors and they are the BLUE CHIP stocks. In this article, we are going to discuss what are blue chip companies and the ten top blue chip companies in India.
What are Blue Chip companies?
Blue Chip Companies” are the companies that have stable earnings and do not have extensive liabilities. The stocks of these blue chip companies referred to as ‘blue chip stocks. Blue chip companies are large and well-established companies with a history of consistent performance. These companies are financially strong and are capable to survive in the tough market situations. Most of the blue chip companies are the market leaders in their industry. Few of the common examples of blue chip companies in India are TCS, Infosys, HDFC Bank, ITC, Asian Paints, Maruti Suzuki Reliance Industries etc.
Characteristics of Blue Chip Companies-
1. They are large reputed companies.
2. They have a widely used products/services.
3. Most of these companies are listed in the market for a very long time.
4. Blue chip companies have survived a number of bear phase, market crisis, financial troubles etc. But they are still going strong.
5. Blue chip companies have a strong balance sheet (a large number of assets compared to liabilities) and a healthy income statement (revenues and profits continuously growing for the last few decades).
6. These companies have a good past track record of stable growth.
Financial characteristics of blue chip companies stocks.
Apart from the signature characteristics discussed above, here are few key financial characteristics of blue chip companies –
1. Blue chip companies have a large market capitalization: As a thumb rule, the market cap of most of the blue chip companies in India is greater than Rs 20,000 Crores.
2. Good past performance: Blue chip companies have a track record of good past performance (like consistently increasing annual revenue over a long-term).
3. Low debt to equity ratio: The bluest of the blue chips are (generally) debt free stocks. However, a lower and stable debt to equity ratio can also be considered as a significant characteristic of blue chip companies.
4. Good dividend history: Blue chip companies are known to reward decent dividends to their loyal shareholders.
5. Other characteristics: Apart from the above four- few other key characteristics of blue chip companies are a high return on equity (ROE), high-interest coverage ratio, low price to sales ratio etc.
Top 10 Blue Chip Companies in India:
TCS
Tata Consultancy Services Limited (TCS) is an Indian multinational information technology (IT) service, consulting and business solutions company. It was established in 1968 as a division of Tata Sons Limited. As of March 31, 2018, TCS employed 394,998 professionals.
TCS is the largest Indian companies by market capitalization. TCS is 1st Indian company having a market capitalization above $100 billion. It is now placed among the most valuable IT services brands worldwide. TCS alone generates 70% dividends of its parent company, Tata Sons.
ITC
Indian Tobacco Company (ITC) is one of the biggest conglomerate company in India. ITC was formed in August 1910 under the name of Imperial Tobacco Company of India Limited. It has a diversified business which includes five segments: Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), Hotels, Paperboards & Packaging, Agri-Business & Information Technology. Currently, ITC has over 25,000 employees.
ITC Ltd sells 81 percent of the cigarettes in India. Few of the major cigarette brands of ITC include Wills Navy Cut, Gold Flake Kings, Gold Flake Premium lights, Gold Flake Super Star, Insignia, India Kings etc.
Apart for the cigarette industry, few other well-known businesses of ITC are Aashirvaad, Mint-o, gum-o, B natural, Sunfeast, Candyman, Bingo!, Yippee!, Wills Lifestyle, John Players, Fiama Di Wills, Vivel, Essenza Di Wills, Superia, Engage, Classmate, PaperKraft etc.
Infosys
Infosys Limited is an Indian multinational corporation that provides business consulting, information technology and outsourcing services. It has its headquarters in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. Infosys is the second-largest Indian IT company after TCS and 596th largest public company in the world in terms of revenue. Its market capitalization above $45 billion.
Infosys main business includes software development, maintenance, and independent validation services to companies in finance, insurance, manufacturing and other domains.
HUL
HUL is one of the largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Company in India with a heritage of over 80 years. It is a subsidiary of Unilever, a British Dutch Company. HUL’s products include foods, beverages, cleaning agents, personal care products, and water purifiers.
Few famous products of HUL are Lux, Lifebuoy, Surf Excel, Rin, Wheel, Fair & Lovely, Pond’s, Vaseline, Lakmé, Dove, Clinic Plus, Sunsilk, Pepsodent, Closeup, Axe, Brooke Bond, Bru, Knorr, Kissan, Kwality Walls and Pureit.
HDFC BANK
HDFC Bank is India’s leading banking and financial service company. It is India’s largest private sector lender by assets.
HDFC Bank provides a number of products and services which includes Wholesale banking, Retail banking, Treasury, Auto (car) Loans, Two Wheeler Loans, Personal Loans, Loan Against Property and Credit Cards. It is also the largest bank in India by market capitalization and was ranked 69th in 2016 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands.
Nestle India
Nestle India is a subsidiary of Nestle SA of Switzerland- which is the world’s largest food and beverages company. It was incorporated in the year 1956. Nestle India Ltd has 8 manufacturing facilities and 4 branch offices in India. The Company has continuously focused its efforts to better understand the changing lifestyles of India and anticipate consumer needs in order to provide Taste, Nutrition, Health and Wellness through its product offerings.
Few famous products of Nestle India are Maggi, Nescafe, KitKat, MUNCH, MILKY BAR, BARONE, NESTLE CLASSIC, ALPINO etc. (On 8 March 2018, Nestle Indias food brand MAGGI completed 35 years of existence in India.)
Reliance Industries
This company needs no introduction. Reliance Industries is an Indian conglomerate holding company and owns businesses across India engaged in energy, petrochemicals, textiles, natural resources, retail, and telecommunications.
In December 2015, Reliance Industries soft-launched Jio (Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited) and it crossed 8.3 million users as of January 2018.
Reliance is one of the most profitable companies in India and the second largest publicly traded company in India by market capitalization. On 18 October 2007, Reliance Industries became the first Indian company to reach $100 billion market capitalization. It is also the highest income tax payer in the private sector in India.
Bajaj Auto
Bajaj Auto is a global two-wheeler and three-wheeler Indian manufacturing company. It manufactures and sells motorcycles, scooters and auto rickshaws. Bajaj Auto was founded by Jamnalal Bajaj in Rajasthan in the 1940s. It is the world’s sixth-largest manufacturer of motorcycles and the second-largest in India.
Few of the popular motorcycle products of Bajaj Auto are Platina, Discover, Pulsar and Avenger and CT 100. In the three-wheeler segment, it is the world’s largest manufacturer and accounts for almost 84% of India’s three-wheeler exports.
Eicher Motors
Eicher Motors is an automobile manufacturer and parent company of Royal Enfield, a manufacturer of luxury motorcycles. Royal Enfield has made its distinctive motorcycles since 1901 which makes it the world’s oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production. Royal Enfield operates in over 40 countries around the world.
The Eicher Group has diversified business interests in design and development, manufacturing, and local and international marketing of trucks, buses, motorcycles, automotive gears, and components.
Asian Paints
Asian paint is one of the largest Indian paint company and manufacturer. Since its foundation in 1942, Asian paint has come a long way to become India’s leading and Asia’s fourth-largest paint company, with a turnover of Rs 170.85 billion. It operates in 19 countries and has 26 paint manufacturing facilities in the world, servicing consumers in over 65 countries.
Asian Paints is engaged in the business of manufacturing, selling and distribution of paints, coatings, products related to home decor, bath fittings and providing of related services.
