The week gone by in 10 stocks: TaMo, ONGC, OIL & Just Dial

The benchmark equity indices continued to rally for yet another week, recording their second biggest weekly gains in nine years amid reports that some early trials of Covid-19 drugs were soming promise. Meanwhile, talks of government stimulus kept Dalal Street buzzing.

As many as 374 stocks ended the week in the green while the rest of BSE500 names finished in the red. Largecap names from metals and auto came to the fore after many weeks of lurching in the shadows. Smallcaps, however, lagged behind their larger peers.

“Equity markets may remain volatile until market participants are able to assess the actual impact of the lockdown on economic activity and a definitive cure/vaccine is found for the virus. There are signs of resumption of economic activity in India, especially in the districts where Covid incidences have been limited. This is a positive,” said Shibani Sircar Kurian, Head of Equity Research, Kotak Mahindra AMC.

Here are the key stocks that created all the buzz during the holiday-truncated week gone by:

Tata Motors: Shares of the company advanced 26 per cent to Rs 93 during the week as reports suggested that its flagship Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has restored three-fourth of its budgeted production in China.

Just Dial: Shares of the company rose 23 per cent after it approved the proposal to buyback up to 31,42,857 shares at a maximum price of Rs 700. The stake sale will rake in up to Rs 220 crore for the internet discovery platform. The stock closed at Rs 406 on Thursday.

ICICI Prudential: Shares of this insurer were among the hot picks last week as investors anticipated a surge in life insurance sales in the wake of Covid pandemic. The stock jumped 22.16 per cent fir the week to close at Rs 411.17.

Motherson Sumi: The auto-components maker built on to its gains of the previous two weeks as factories continued to move towards pre-Covid efficiency. The stock climbed 21 per cent to Rs 87.55.


Sadbhav Engineering: This infrastructure company saw its fortune change after it announced a rejig in top management. The stock gained 21 per cent to Rs 46.9 after the company appointed Vasistha Patel as CEO.

Oil India, ONGC: Oil and gas explorers were among top gainers as crude oil prices recovered last week ahead of production cut by Opec+ kicked in on May 1. After three consecutive weeks of losses, Brent notched about 23 per cent gains while WTI increased about 17 per cent. ONGC and Oil India both rose 18 per cent to Rs 80 and Rs 99, respectively.


Strides Pharma: Shares of Strides Pharma spiked 18 per cent to Rs 443 during the last week after the company said it has started exporting favipiravir antiviral tablets that are being used in treatment of Covid-19 in some countries.

Mindtree: Shares of Mindtree rallied 17 per cent to Rs 915 as the mid-cap IT firm’s March quarter results beat Street estimates. The firm reported a 3.9 per cent year-on-year (YoY) rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 206.2 crore compared with Rs 198.4 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. The company closed FY20 with the highest ever deal wins of $1.2 billion.

Chalet Hotels: Shares of the hotel operator continued to be under pressure as travel and hospitality business remained virtually shut. The stock fell 7 per cent to Rs 148 in the four-day week.