Rating Rationale
August 16, 2024 | Mumbai
D C Ajmera
'CRISIL BBB-/Stable/CRISIL A3' assigned to Bank Debt
 
Rating Action
Total Bank Loan Facilities RatedRs.46 Crore
Long Term RatingCRISIL BBB-/Stable (Assigned)
Short Term RatingCRISIL A3 (Assigned)
Note: None of the Directors on CRISIL Ratings Limited’s Board are members of rating committee and thus do not participate in discussion or assignment of any ratings. The Board of Directors also does not discuss any ratings at its meetings.
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to Annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities

Detailed Rationale

CRISIL Ratings has assigned its CRISIL BBB-/Stable/CRISIL A3 ratings to the bank facilities of D C Ajmera (DCA).

 

The ratings reflect the extensive experience of the partners in the road construction business,  healthy orderbook providing revenue visibility, and comfortable financial risk profile. These strengths are partially offset by the modest scale of operations and risk associated with the on-going projects in SPVs.

Analytical Approach

For arriving at the ratings, CRISIL Ratings has considered the standalone financials of DCA, and has moderately consolidated the special-purpose vehicles (SPVs) to the extent of support required (investment requirement, expected cost overruns in under-implementation project, as well as cash flow mismatches in operational project) over the medium term.

 

Please refer Annexure - List of Entities Consolidated, which captures the list of entities considered and their analytical treatment of consolidation.

Key Rating Drivers & Detailed Description

Strengths:

  • Extensive experience of the partners: The three-decade-long experience of the partners in the road construction industry, their strong understanding of market dynamics and proven track record of the firm should continue to support business risk profile. The firm constructs roads, bridges, and highways in Maharashtra mainly, but also in Assam and Madhya Pradesh. Healthy relationships with counterparties such as NHAI and PWD, further support the business risk profile. Revenues have grown at a CAGR of 25% since the past 3 fiscals ending fiscal 2024 and has achieved revenues of around Rs. 170 to 172 crores in fiscal 2024 as compared to Rs. 71.6 crore in fiscal 2023, supported by timely execution of previous order book.

 

  • Healthy orderbook provides adequate revenue visibility: DCA presently has a healthy unexecuted orderbook of Rs 541 crores as of March 2024 with orderbook to revenue ratio of 3.1 times. Healthy order book provides adequate revenue visibility over the medium term. Continued focus on timely execution of current orderbook and bagging new orders while sustaining steady y-o-y growth remains a key monitorable.

 

  • Comfortable financial risk profile: Networth and total outside liabilities to adjusted networth (TOLANW) ratio were healthy at Rs 46.56 crore and 0.83 times, respectively, as on March 31, 2024 (Rs. 36.23 crores and 1.04 times respectively as on March 31, 2023). Capital structure is expected to remain comfortable over the medium term, driven by accretion to reserves. Debt protection metrics were robust, with interest coverage and net cash accrual to adjusted debt ratios of over 10.15 times and 0.45 times, respectively, in fiscal 2024. The metrics are estimated to remain comfortable over the medium term. In the absence of any major debt-funded capital expenditure (capex) over the medium term, the financial risk profile is expected to remain comfortable on the back of steady accretion to reserves.

 

Weaknesses:

  • Moderate scale of operations and exposure to tender based nature of operations: Despite revenues improving to Rs 170.9 crore in fiscal 2024 from Rs 71.6 crore in fiscal 2023, it has remained moderate. Turnover is estimated at Rs 200-220 crore in fiscal 2025 on the back of a healthy unexecuted order book. Sustained increase in scale driven by timely execution of outstanding orders will remain a key monitorable over the medium term.

 

  • Risk associated with the on-going projects in SPVs: The company has two HAM SPVs, one of which is under construction and is yet to commence operations while the other SPV is operational. Timely construction leading to achievement of milestone with limited cost overruns would remain a key monitorable over the medium term.

Liquidity: Adequate

Bank limit utilisation was 75% on average for the 12 months through June 2024. Net cash accrual is expected to be Rs 9 - 11 crore in fiscals 2025 and 2026 each, against term debt obligation of Rs 2.2-2.4 crore per annum including estimated support towards the SPVs. Current ratio was 2.18 times as on March 31, 2024. Unencumbered cash and bank balance stood at Rs 14 crore as on March 31, 2024.

Outlook: Stable

The firm will continue to benefit from the extensive experience of its partners.

Rating Sensitivity factors

Upward factors

  • Substantial and sustainable increase in revenue and profitability leading to cash accrual of more than Rs 12 crore.
  • Improvement in working capital cycle and liquidity profile.

 

Downward factors

  • Steep decline in revenue or operating margin resulting in cash accrual below Rs 7 crore.
  • Any stretch in working capital cycle or larger than expected cash outflow to SPVs, leading to tight liquidity.

About the Firm

DCA was set up as a sole proprietorship firm in 1992 by Mr Deepak Champatrai Ajmera. In 2018, Mr Saurabh Ajmera and Mr Swayam Ajmera became the new partners, and the firm was reconstituted as a partnership firm in 2020.

 

Based in Osmanabad, Maharashtra, DCA constructs roads, bridges, and highways in Maharashtra, Assam and Madhya Pradesh, and undertakes both engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) as well as HAM projects. Of the two HAM projects, the firm has completed one while the other one is under construction under the SPVs: D C Ajmera Infrastructure LLP and DCA Infra HAM Chaklamba Gevrai LLP.

Key Financial Indicators

As on/for the period ended March 31

Unit 

2024*

2023

Operating income

Rs.Crore

170.9

71.61

Reported profit after tax

Rs.Crore

8.56

2.86

PAT margin

%

5.01

4.00

Adjusted debt/adjusted networth

Times

0.48

0.46

Interest coverage

Times

10.15

3.62

*Provisionals

Any other information: Not Applicable

Note on complexity levels of the rated instrument:
CRISIL Ratings` complexity levels are assigned to various types of financial instruments and are included (where applicable) in the 'Annexure - Details of Instrument' in this Rating Rationale.

CRISIL Ratings will disclose complexity level for all securities - including those that are yet to be placed - based on available information. The complexity level for instruments may be updated, where required, in the rating rationale published subsequent to the issuance of the instrument when details on such features are available.

For more details on the CRISIL Ratings` complexity levels please visit www.crisilratings.com. Users may also call the Customer Service Helpdesk with queries on specific instruments.

Annexure - Details of Instrument(s)

ISIN Name of Instrument Date of Allotment Coupon Rate (%) Maturity Date Issue Size (Rs.Cr) Complexity Levels Rating Assigned with Outlook
NA Cash Credit NA NA NA 8 NA CRISIL BBB-/Stable
NA Cash Credit* NA NA NA 18 NA CRISIL BBB-/Stable
NA Bank Guarantee NA NA NA 10 NA CRISIL A3
NA Bank Guarantee NA NA NA 10 NA CRISIL A3

*Cash Credit Limit of Rs.18 crores from Bank of Maharashtra is interchangeable with BG up to Rs.15 crores

Annexure - List of Entities Consolidated

Names of Entities Consolidated

Extent of Consolidation

Rationale for Consolidation

D C Ajmera Infrastructure LLP

Moderate

To the extent of support towards equity commitment and cost overrun during construction and cash flow mismatches during operations

DCA Infra HAM Chaklamba Gevrai LLP

Moderate

To the extent of support towards equity commitment and cost overrun during construction and cash flow mismatches during operations

Annexure - Rating History for last 3 Years
  Current 2024 (History) 2023  2022  2021  Start of 2021
Instrument Type Outstanding Amount Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Rating
Fund Based Facilities LT 26.0 CRISIL BBB-/Stable   --   --   --   -- --
Non-Fund Based Facilities ST 20.0 CRISIL A3   --   --   --   -- --
All amounts are in Rs.Cr.
Annexure - Details of Bank Lenders & Facilities
Facility Amount (Rs.Crore) Name of Lender Rating
Bank Guarantee 10 Solapur Janata Sahakari Bank CRISIL A3
Bank Guarantee 10 Canara Bank CRISIL A3
Cash Credit* 18 Bank of Maharashtra CRISIL BBB-/Stable
Cash Credit 8 Solapur Janata Sahakari Bank CRISIL BBB-/Stable

 *Cash Credit Limit of Rs.18 crores from Bank of Maharashtra is interchangeable with BG up to Rs.15 crores

Criteria Details
Links to related criteria
CRISILs Approach to Financial Ratios
Rating criteria for manufaturing and service sector companies
CRISILs criteria for rating annuity and HAM road projects
CRISILs Criteria for rating short term debt
CRISILs Criteria for Consolidation

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