अFunda Observatory

Utilities: implied vs delivered earnings growth

18 ranked companies · Oct 2026 · prices as of 9 Oct 2026

Discount rate 12% · 10-year horizon · exit P/E 15x · dividends at each company's own payout

In Utilities, the median price implies 11.9%/yr earnings growth against 11.2%/yr delivered over the past decade, a gap of −2.6 pts, higher than 1 of 17 other sectors. Treated as one company (aggregate market cap over aggregate profit), the sector's price implies 15.0%/yr.

These figures are a mechanical translation of each company's current price-to-earnings ratio into the earnings growth that would be consistent with it, under fixed assumptions we chose (12% annual return, 10 years, exit P/E 15x). They are not forecasts, price targets or recommendations, and change materially with the assumptions. Delivered growth is historical and does not predict future results. ApnaFunda is not a SEBI-registered research analyst or investment adviser. Data may contain errors; verify with company filings before relying on it.

0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60% Delivered growth, per year → Implied growth → SJVN · delivered −4.7% · implied 11.9%CESC · delivered −1.3% · implied 10.8%NLCINDIA · delivered 3.0% · implied 13.4%NHPC · delivered 3.7% · implied 12.0%ATGL · delivered 28.1% · implied 35.8%POWERGRID · delivered 0.3% · implied 7.5%GIPCL · delivered 3.0% · implied 6.2%TORNTPOWER · delivered 17.6% · implied 17.9%NTPC · delivered 8.9% · implied 7.0%GAIL · delivered 10.2% · implied 6.9%PETRONET · delivered 9.5% · implied 4.7%IGL · delivered 12.3% · implied 7.5%NAVA · delivered 25.4% · implied 20.2%MGL · delivered 12.2% · implied 6.6%ACMESOLAR · delivered 60.0% · implied 38.3%KPIGREEN · delivered 45.3% · implied 22.3%KPEL · delivered 37.1% · implied 13.0%JSWENERGY · delivered 60.0% · implied 32.9%SJVNCESCNLCINDIANHPCATGLMGLACMESOLARKPIGREENKPELJSWENERGY −30 pts0+50 pts

Most demanding in Utilities

  1. #1SATLUJ JAL VIDYUT NIGAM LTD SJVN · Utilities · normalised P/E 20.7x · ₹21,673 cr
    price implies 11.9%/yr · delivered −4.7%/yr (avg-to-avg) · gap +16.6 pts
    cyclical: normalised earnings used · pays out over half of earnings
  2. #2CESC LIMITED CESC · Utilities · P/E 20.5x · ₹17,648 cr
    price implies 10.8%/yr · delivered −1.3%/yr (avg-to-avg) · gap +12.1 pts
    pays out over half of earnings · over half of profit is other income
  3. #3NLC INDIA LIMITED NLCINDIA · Utilities · normalised P/E 19.3x · ₹33,745 cr
    price implies 13.4%/yr · delivered 3.0%/yr (avg-to-avg) · gap +10.3 pts
    cyclical: normalised earnings used · over half of profit is other income
  4. #4NHPC LIMITED NHPC · Utilities · P/E 20.1x · ₹73,391 cr
    price implies 12.0%/yr · delivered 3.7%/yr (10-yr trend) · gap +8.3 pts
    pays out over half of earnings · over half of profit is other income
  5. #5ADANI TOTAL GAS LIMITED ATGL · Utilities · normalised P/E 104.2x · ₹61,949 cr
    price implies 35.8%/yr · delivered 28.1%/yr (avg-to-avg) · gap +7.7 pts
    cyclical: normalised earnings used
  6. #6POWER GRID CORPORATION OF INDI POWERGRID · Utilities · P/E 14.8x · ₹2,31,698 cr
    price implies 7.5%/yr · delivered 0.3%/yr (avg-to-avg) · gap +7.2 pts
    pays out over half of earnings · over half of profit is other income
  7. #7GUJARAT INDUSTRIES POWER CO L GIPCL · Utilities · normalised P/E 11.0x · ₹2,587 cr
    price implies 6.2%/yr · delivered 3.0%/yr (avg-to-avg) · gap +3.2 pts
    cyclical: normalised earnings used · trailing P/E far below normalised
  8. #8TORRENT POWER LIMITED TORNTPOWER · Utilities · normalised P/E 30.8x · ₹59,889 cr
    price implies 17.9%/yr · delivered 17.6%/yr (avg-to-avg) · gap +0.3 pts
    cyclical: normalised earnings used
  9. #9NTPC LIMITED NTPC · Utilities · P/E 12.8x · ₹3,02,552 cr
    price implies 7.0%/yr · delivered 8.9%/yr (10-yr trend) · gap −1.9 pts
  10. #10GAIL (INDIA) LIMITED GAIL · Utilities · normalised P/E 12.8x · ₹1,09,543 cr
    price implies 6.9%/yr · delivered 10.2%/yr (avg-to-avg) · gap −3.3 pts
    cyclical: normalised earnings used

Lowest expectations in Utilities

  1. #18JSW ENERGY LIMITED JSWENERGY · Utilities · normalised P/E 94.7x · ₹81,664 cr
    price implies 32.9%/yr · delivered 163.5%/yr (avg-to-avg) · gap −27.1 pts
    cyclical: normalised earnings used · over half of profit is other income
  2. #17K P ENERGY LIMITED KPEL · Utilities · normalised P/E 16.8x · ₹1,398 cr
    price implies 13.0%/yr · delivered 37.1%/yr (avg-to-avg) · gap −24.1 pts
    cyclical: normalised earnings used · trailing P/E far below normalised
  3. #16KPI GREEN ENERGY LIMITED KPIGREEN · Utilities · normalised P/E 36.9x · ₹6,436 cr
    price implies 22.3%/yr · delivered 45.3%/yr (avg-to-avg) · gap −23.0 pts
    cyclical: normalised earnings used · trailing P/E far below normalised
  4. #15ACME SOLAR HOLDINGS LIMITED ACMESOLAR · Utilities · normalised P/E 123.7x · ₹26,331 cr
    price implies 38.3%/yr · delivered 84.6%/yr (avg-to-avg) · gap −21.7 pts
    cyclical: normalised earnings used · trailing P/E far below normalised · over half of profit is other income
  5. #14MAHANAGAR GAS LIMITED MGL · Utilities · normalised P/E 11.3x · ₹10,299 cr
    price implies 6.6%/yr · delivered 12.2%/yr (avg-to-avg) · gap −5.6 pts
    cyclical: normalised earnings used
  6. #12INDRAPRASHTHA GAS LTD IGL · Utilities · normalised P/E 13.9x · ₹20,475 cr
    price implies 7.5%/yr · delivered 12.3%/yr (avg-to-avg) · gap −4.8 pts
    cyclical: normalised earnings used
  7. #11PETRONET LNG LIMITED PETRONET · Utilities · P/E 10.6x · ₹43,725 cr
    price implies 4.7%/yr · delivered 9.5%/yr (10-yr trend) · gap −4.8 pts
  8. #10GAIL (INDIA) LIMITED GAIL · Utilities · normalised P/E 12.8x · ₹1,09,543 cr
    price implies 6.9%/yr · delivered 10.2%/yr (avg-to-avg) · gap −3.3 pts
    cyclical: normalised earnings used
  9. #9NTPC LIMITED NTPC · Utilities · P/E 12.8x · ₹3,02,552 cr
    price implies 7.0%/yr · delivered 8.9%/yr (10-yr trend) · gap −1.9 pts

Utilities sector fundamentals → · All sectors

How this works

An investor buys at today's trailing P/E, receives dividends equal to a fixed share of earnings for 10 years, then sells at an exit P/E of 15x. We solve for the constant annual earnings-per-share growth that makes that sequence worth exactly today's price at a 12% required return: P/E = payout × Σ xᵗ + exit P/E × xᴺ, with x = (1 + growth) / (1 + required return). With no dividends it reduces to growth = (1 + r) × (P/E ÷ exit P/E)^(1/N) − 1. Each company uses its own median payout over its last five fiscal years (zero if unknown).

Delivered growth is the fitted annual growth of net profit per share over the last up to ten fiscal years known at the time (a 60-day reporting lag is applied), or a first-three-versus-last-three-years average where earnings are cyclical or a loss year interrupts the series. Cyclical companies are valued on their five-year average earnings rather than trailing ones. The gap is implied growth minus delivered growth, in percentage points.

Sensitivity at a P/E of 40x and a 30% payout (exit P/E down, required return across):

Exit P/E / return11%12%13%
12x23.3%24.4%25.5%
15x20.8%21.9%23.0%
20x17.7%18.7%19.8%

Because a change in the required return or exit multiple moves every company's implied growth by nearly the same amount, the ranking is stable under the assumptions; only the levels move. The curve is also concave: doubling a P/E from 40x to 80x adds only about seven points of implied growth, so a 200x P/E does not mean ten times the growth. There is no consensus forecast in this data, so the comparison is with history only. Sector indices and "sector as one company" use today's constituents and are survivorship-biased.