Though the rights issue will dilute the EPS and return on equity (RoE), analysts are bullish on it because it will help Tata Power bring down its debtequity ratio. In addition to the rights issue, the management is also making efforts to divest its non-core assets to raise money. Though certain approvals are still pending, its stake sale efforts in Indonesian mines are expected to materialise in May.

The recent Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) order, upholding the recommendations of theDeepak Parekh Committee, which was set up to determine the compensatory tariff for ultra mega power project (UMPP) in Mundra, is another positive factor. If the order is fully implemented, it will allow Mundra UMPP to pass 100% of the increased fuel costs, which would not have been possible earlier due to the fixed price power purchase agreements (PPAs). With greater clarity on Mundra, which was a major overhang, the risk-reward ratio is also becoming favourable for the company.

At current market price, Tata Power is quoting at a premium to its peers. However, analysts feel that this premium is justified because it the best stock with a high RoE and growth rates in the utilities segment. The improvement in balance sheet after the rights issue, Indonesian coal stake sale and relief due to CERC's order should help the company focus on its growth plans again. On the other hand, most competitors are still in the process of selling their best operational assets to reduce debt burden. Since the rights issue price is at a significant discount compared to the market price, existing investors should participate in it, while the new ones can wait for a price correction.

Selection methodology: We choose the stock that has shown the maximum improvement in consensus analyst rating over the past month. Consensus rating is arrived at by averaging all analyst recommendations after attributing weightages to each (5 for strong buy, 4 for buy, 3 for hold, 2 for sell, and 1 for strong sell). Any improvement in rating indicates that analysts are becoming more bullish on the stock. To ensure that we pick only widely covered companies, this search is restricted to stocks covered by at least 10 analysts. You may see similar consensus analyst rating changes during the last one week in the ETW 50 stocks table.