REC Q1 consolidated PAT slips ~6% YoY to ₹4,193 Cr as FX loss, softer income squeeze margins
REC Ltd reported a mild year-on-year decline in its June-2026 quarter. Consolidated net profit came in at ₹4,193 Cr, down ~6.1% from ₹4,466 Cr a year ago, on revenue from operations of ₹14,435 Cr that was ~2% lower YoY. Standalone told the same story — PAT ₹4,149 Cr vs ₹4,451 Cr (−6.8%) — so there is no divergence between the two bases; consolidated is a whisker higher purely on the small RECPDCL consultancy subsidiary (PAT ₹43 Cr). The sharp +24% QoQ jump in profit is a low-base rebound off a Q4 that carried heavy year-end CSR (₹236 Cr) and impairment charges, not fresh momentum — YoY is the read that matters, and it is a step down.
The margin bridge sits on two volatile lines rather than the core lending book. Net profit margin compressed to ~28.98% from 30.12% and operating margin to 36.26% from 38.19%. Interest income on loan assets was roughly flat YoY (₹13,888 Cr vs ₹14,271 Cr) and finance costs eased (₹8,748 Cr vs ₹8,934 Cr), but a ₹911 Cr net translation/transaction FX loss (versus just ₹51 Cr a year ago) dragged the print down; it was largely cushioned by a ₹967 Cr impairment write-back (provision reversal) as asset quality improved. Reassuringly, gross credit-impaired assets fell to 0.23% from 1.05% YoY and net to 0.11%, with the loan book at ₹5.90 lakh Cr and CRAR at 23.06% — the deterioration is in mark-to-market/FX noise, not credit.
On expectations, REC gives no formal quarterly guidance and none is on record; a PSU earnings preview existed but no reliable consensus PAT number could be verified, so the result is best read on its own merits. The board paired the numbers with a 1st interim dividend of ₹4.25/share (record date July 31, 2026). The dominant forward overhang is corporate, not operational: the board's June-28 draft scheme of merger by absorption into parent PFC (88 PFC shares per 100 REC shares, appointed date April 1, 2027) is pending regulatory and shareholder approvals and will frame how these standalone earnings are ultimately valued. REC also incorporated several wholly-owned power-transmission SPVs during the quarter, signalling a build-out in the transmission project pipeline.