1:50 pm ITC shopping: FMCG major
ITC has entered into an agreement with Johnson & Johnson to acquire its
brands, 'Savlon' and 'Shower To Shower', in India. This acquisition will be
ITC's first purchase in the personal care segment. "The company entered
into asset purchase agreements with Johnson & Johnson Ltd, India &
Johnson & Johnson Pte Ltd, Singapore yesterday for purchase of 'Savlon' and
'Shower To Shower' trademarks and other intellectual property, respectively,
primarily for use in India," ITC said in a BSE filing.
Savlon is an antiseptic brand while Shower To
Shower is a personal care product brand. These agreements are subject to
customary closing conditions and regulatory permissions as may be necessary, it
added. During the third quarter ended December 2014, ITC reported 10.47 per
cent rise in net profit at Rs 2,635 crore as against a net profit of Rs
2,385.34 crore in corresponding quarter a year earlier.
1:30 pm Result poll: M&M
will announce its third quarter earnings on Friday. Consolidated net profit is
expected to decline 39 percent year-on-year to Rs 615 crore, according to a
poll. Consolidated numbers include Mahindra Vehicle Manufactures numbers as
well. Total income of the utility vehicle maker is seen falling 13 percent to
Rs 8,900 crore during October-December quarter from Rs 10,241.6 crore in same
quarter last year, dented by lower sales volumes.
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The market continues to surge as the Sensex is up
207.54 points at 29012.64. The Nifty is up 67.75 points at 8779.30. About
1391 shares have advanced, 1209 shares declined, and 200 shares are
unchanged.
SBI, M&M, TCS, Sun Pharma and Wipro are top
gainers in the Sensex. Among the losers are BHEL, GAIL, ONGC, HDFC Bank and Infosys.
Japan's Nikkei share average fell on Friday,
retreating from a 7.5-year closing high the previous day as investors took
profits from gainers such as Fanuc Corp, but buying in cyclical stocks exposed
to consumer demand limited the losses.
A ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine
also eased tensions in the market. The Nikkei shed 0.4 percent to 17,913.36,
retreating from 17,979.72 marked on Thursday, the highest closing level since
July 2007. For the week, the Nikkei gained 1.5 percent.