Highway Infrastructure Ltd Q3 FY2026 Concall Summary & Transcript Notes

Source transcript PDF: https://www.stockscans.in/document/aghjdkpj6n33ff3uvre6bl64.pdf

# 1. Financial Performance

## A. Key Figures
   * Standalone Total Income: **₹129.4 Cr** Q3 (+11.6%) · **₹353.4 Cr** 9M (+18.3%)
   * Consolidated Total Income: **₹128.4 Cr** Q3 · **₹365.2 Cr** 9M
   * Standalone EBITDA: **₹9.6 Cr** Q3 (+52.7%) · **₹36.3 Cr** 9M (+136.9%)
   * Consolidated EBITDA: **₹9.6 Cr** Q3 (+10.7%) · **₹35.4 Cr** 9M (+65.2%)
   * **Standalone PAT:** **₹6.1 Cr** Q3 (+38%) · **₹22.9 Cr** 9M (+192%)
   * Consolidated PAT: ₹6.3 Cr Q3 (+34.3%) · ₹23.1 Cr 9M (+121.5%)

## B. Profitability Trends
   *   **Robust Bottom-Line Growth:** Standalone PAT surged 192% over 9M despite modest revenue growth, indicating strong cost control and operating leverage.
   *   **Segment Margin Profile:** Tollway collection and EPC segments operate at relatively thin **EBITDA margins of 6–7%**, highlighting capital intensity and operational execution sensitivity.
   *   **Profit Growth Outpaces Revenue:** Both standalone and consolidated EBITDA expanded faster than income, suggesting margin resilience amid scale.

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# 2. Order Book & Backlog

## A. Key Figures
   *   **Order Book:** **₹1,160 Cr** consolidated (as of Jan 2026) (**>4x** Mar 2025 level) · **₹507 Cr** new mandates (last 2–3 months)
   * Tollway Orders: ₹437.3 Cr in new orders · ₹328.8 Cr Kaza Fee Plaza mandate (largest in company history)
   *   **EPC Work Orders:** **₹630 Cr** in backlog · **₹250 Cr** to be executed in FY27

## B. EPC Work Orders
   *   **Robust Pipeline:** Strong forward pipeline of **over 3,900 NIP road projects** supports sustained EPC and tolling opportunities, with **L1/H1 positions exceeding ₹200 Cr** signaling ground-level traction.
   *   **Execution Momentum:** Over **₹750–800 Cr of current orders are executable**, with active tendering underway for roads, greenfield expressways, and way-side amenities to fuel future growth.
   *   **Strategic Growth Focus:** Management targets ~50% order book expansion next year, prioritizing **high-margin, EBITDA-enhancing projects** over volume alone.

## C. Tollway Mandates
   *   **Record-Breaking Momentum:** Q3 marked a transformational shift with the **largest tollway contract secured to date**, reinforcing the company’s position as a leading **technology-driven, asset-light toll operator**.
   *   **Favorable Competitive Landscape:** High-value toll mandates face **limited competition** due to stringent **NHAI registration barriers**, enabling selective bidding and stronger margin potential.
   *   **Accelerated Order Intake:** Toll segment now represents a majority of the consolidated order book, with **₹3 Cr+ in new toll orders added recently** and multiple new corridors (e.g., **Jaipur-Bandikui**) entering execution phase.

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# 3. Segment & Business Mix

## A. Key Figures
   *   **EPC Project Pipeline:** **INR 400–450 Cr** targeted for completion in FY27–FY28
   *   **Tollway Revenue Run-Rate:** **INR 30–31 Cr/month** expected from Kaza project (~**INR 1 Cr/day**)
   *   **Client Mix:** **77% government clients** in EPC segment ensuring payment visibility
   *   **Working Capital Cycle:** **3 months** (EPC) · **1–2 months** (Toll)

## B. EPC Performance
   *   **Core Execution Strength:** EPC remains foundational with **30+ years** of experience and **105+ completed projects**, providing strong credibility and execution depth across infrastructure verticals.
   *   **Strategic Diversification:** Expanding into **renewable EPC, EV charging, and ropeway operations**, signaling a shift toward integrated mobility and clean energy infrastructure.
   *   **Favorable Cash Flow Profile:** Short working capital cycle in EPC and toll operations supports capital efficiency and liquidity stability.

## C. Tollway Operations
   *   **Scaled, Asset-Light Model:** Tollway operations are technology-driven with focus on **digitalization and leakage control**, enabling high-margin, low-capital growth since launch in 2020.
   *   **High-Growth Project Ramp-Up:** Operations underway at one of **South India’s largest toll plazas**, with **strong growth expected in Q1 FY27** on both volume and margin fronts.
   *   **Superior Contract Economics:** Focus on **public-funded toll collection** avoids balance sheet strain of BOT models, while **renewable annual contracts** (e.g., Kiratpur) ensure revenue durability.
   *   **Industry Tailwinds:** Toll collections **doubled in past two years**, with **expectation of doubling again** in next two years, validating sector momentum.

## D. Commercial Leasing
   *   **Annuity Income Buildout:** Real estate leverages **strategically located highway-adjacent land** to create recurring leasing income, exemplified by **NYC apartment project** poised for capitalization.

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# 4. Geography & Expansion

## A. Key Figures
   *   **Infrastructure Allocation:** **₹60,000 Cr+** allocated to Madhya Pradesh by MoRTH

## B. Regional Diversification
   *   **Strategic Geographic Expansion:** Company is actively diversifying into Gujarat, Rajasthan, and the Northeast, with potential entry into Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala, reducing regional concentration risk and broadening market reach.
   *   **Gujarat as Growth Hub:** Emerging as a strategic logistics and industrial corridor due to central location, port access, and strong connectivity between major economic centers.
   *   **Northeast Momentum:** Increasing development momentum in the region supported by government infrastructure push, including new airports and highways, unlocking previously constrained opportunities.

## C. New Market Entry
   *   **Targeted Tollway Expansion:** Aiming to enter **top 10 tollways in India** to capitalize on lower competition, funded via IPO proceeds and policy tailwinds.
   *   **Operational Readiness Prerequisite:** Expansion contingent on established manpower, deployment, and management presence, ensuring scalable and sustainable market entry.
   *   **Near-Term Regional Rollout:** Plans to expand into Northeast and Southeast states within the current year, leveraging existing operational strengths.

## D. Seasonal Balancing
   *   **Portfolio Optimization via Seasonality:** Strategic acquisition of toll plazas with complementary seasonal patterns—such as **Kaza in the South** and **Rajasthan plazas**—to smooth revenue volatility and enhance yield stability.

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# 5. Operational Efficiency

## A. Technology Deployment
   *   **Headline:** Technology-driven toll operations reduce manpower dependency while maintaining compliance through strategic deployment of local personnel and experienced managers.

## B. Local Workforce Use
   *   **Headline:** Local hiring prioritized to lower operational costs and strengthen community integration, aligning economic efficiency with social objectives.

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# 6. Risks & Infrastructure Factors

## A. Key Figures
   * Toll Collection Projection: INR 55,000 Cr to INR 1.4 Lakh Cr in two years
   * Budget Allocation: INR 3.1 Lakh Cr to MoRTH FY26-27 (+8%) · INR 1.87 Lakh Cr to NHAI for FY27
   *   **Infrastructure Pipeline:** **3,906** road and bridge projects under development
   *   **Historic Toll Revenue:** **INR 5 Cr/day** across 5–6 plazas on legacy NHAI roads

## B. Weather Disruptions
   *   **Regional Risk Mitigation:** Operations in landslide-prone areas (e.g., Himachal, Manali) and high-rainfall Northeast undergo strict risk assessment; geographic diversification offsets weather- and festival-driven traffic volatility.
   *   **Climate-Driven Revenue Balancing:** Strategic expansion into coastal regions reduces exposure to winter fog and monsoon disruptions, supporting stable toll collections.

## C. Regulatory Shifts
   *   **Policy Tailwinds:** Government’s **8% YoY budget increase** and **INR 87 Lakh Cr NHAI allocation** signal strong commitment to highway expansion, seamless connectivity, and reduced revenue leakage—key margin enhancers.
   *   **Model Transition:** Shift from **BOT to EPC mode** reclassifies tolls as public-funded post-completion, altering project economics and risk-sharing; BOT model is being reintroduced selectively.
   *   **National Development Push:** **Bharatmala** and **NHDP** initiatives under the **National Infrastructure Pipeline** are accelerating project execution and improving pan-India road quality and logistics efficiency.

## D. Traffic Volatility
   *   **Traffic Migration Upside:** New expressways (e.g., Delhi-Mumbai) expected to draw volume from legacy corridors due to superior **fuel efficiency, travel time savings, and road quality**, unlocking growth in underpenetrated segments.
   *   **Operational Efficiency Boost:** Faster vehicle movement and reduced stoppage times are increasing toll compliance; upcoming **Multi-Lane Free-Flow system** may further enhance throughput and revenue visibility.

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# 7. Guidance & Outlook

## A. Key Figures
   * **FY27 Revenue Target:** **₹1,000 Cr** (consensus view) · **EPC:** **₹700 Cr** · **Toll & Real Estate:** **₹300 Cr**

## B. FY27 Revenue Target
   *   **Sustained Infrastructure Momentum:** Revenue trajectory supported by **increased government funding** and a favorable policy environment for road development.
   *   **Geographic Expansion:** New regions to contribute **substantially** to revenue from FY27, leveraging early-mover advantage in underpenetrated markets.

## C. Margin Expansion Plan
   *   **Targeted Margin Improvement:** Aims to expand margins by **200–300 bps by FY27**, driven by a strategic shift toward **higher-value, less competitive contracts**.
   *   **Efficiency Focus:** Management emphasizes operational discipline and margin enhancement as key pillars of long-term value creation.

## D. Growth Verticals
   *   **Recurring Income Transformation:** Strategic pivot underway to increase contribution from **recurring revenue streams**, including commercial leasing and hospitality, over the next 3–5 years.
   *   **Sectoral Tailwinds:** Growth supported by **₹1 lakh Cr government highway allocation** and an expected **doubling of national toll collections** within two years.
   *   **New Venture Strategy:** Open to **JVs and partnerships** with established players to accelerate entry and scale in emerging verticals.