Zomato rockets to all-time high as Blinkit delivers stellar growth

Shares of India's Zomato surged as much as 19 per cent to a record high on Friday, a day after the food delivery company's first-quarter profit blew past expectations, powered by strong growth in its Blinkit grocery delivery business.

The stock's surge defied the weakness in the broader market and its 15 per cent increase as of 10:19 a.m. IST put it on course for its best one-day percentage jump since August 2022.

At least 9 of the 23 analysts covering Zomato raised their target price on the stock, per LSEG data, lifting the median target to Rs260, below the stock's record high of Rs 278.70 on the day. Analysts' average target is about Rs 243.

"Zomato's food delivery business is stable and Blinkit offers a generational opportunity to participate in the disruption of industries such as retail, grocery and e-commerce," said Motilal Oswal.

Zomato's profit of Rs 25,300 crore ($30.2 million) in the April-June quarter was well above expectations of Rs 21,500 crore, highlighting Blinkit's strength despite stiff competition from the likes of Tata group-owned BigBasket and IPO-bound Swiggy's Instamart.

Blinkit's gross order value, the total value of all orders, surged 130 per cent in the quarter, much higher than the 97 per cent in the previous quarter and Elara Capital's estimate of 100 per cent.

Zomato's shares have gained 110 per cent so far this year, making it the top gainer on the Nifty 100, whose 1 per cent drop on the day reduced its year-to-date gains to 18 per cent.