Aptus Value Housing Finance India Ltd Q3 FY2026 Concall Summary & Transcript Notes

Source transcript PDF: https://www.stockscans.in/document/gb3itolog336ucvyy1hjc8pd.pdf

# 1. Financial Performance

## A. Key Figures
   *   **Assets Under Management (AUM):** **₹12,330 Cr** (+21% YoY / +4.8% QoQ)
   *   **Net Income Margin:** **₹406 Cr** (+26% YoY)
   *   **Profit After Tax (PAT):** **₹239 Cr** Q3 (+26% YoY) · **₹685 Cr** 9M
   *   **Spreads & Cost of Funds:** **8.9%** Spreads · **8.3%** Cost of Funds
   *   **Return Metrics:** **7.9%** ROA · **20.2%** ROE

## B. Revenue & AUM Growth
   *   **AUM Dynamics:** Robust double-digit annual expansion is partially offset by a **15.9%** total rundown rate, comprised of principal repayments, preclosures, and balance transfers.
   *   **Disbursement Velocity:** Quarterly disbursements remain healthy at a high single-digit percentage of total AUM, though sequential growth is moderated by portfolio runoff.

## C. Profitability & Margins
   *   **Best-in-Class Returns:** Sustained high profitability with ROE exceeding the **20%** threshold, underpinned by a diversified product mix and broad customer base.
   *   **Spread Expansion:** Margin profile improved as the reduction in borrowing costs outpaced asset pricing adjustments.

## D. Cost of Funds
   *   **Interest Savings Outlook:** Management anticipates further interest cost tailwinds of **10-15 bps** following recent repo rate cuts, adding to significant savings already captured.
   *   **Aggressive Liability Management:** Active negotiations with lenders have secured sharp rate reductions, notably lowering an SBI facility from **9.25% to 8.4%**.
   *   **Incremental Borrowing:** New funding costs have trended significantly lower, with HFC incremental rates dropping to a **7.85%–7.95%** range.

## E. Opex & Efficiency
   *   **Operating Leverage:** Opex-to-assets is projected to remain stable near **2.7%–2.8%**, successfully absorbing a **2x** increase in IT spending and aggressive physical footprint expansion.
   *   **Network Expansion:** Growth strategy includes the addition of **60 to 70 new branches**, focusing on operational efficiency to drive shareholder value despite recent stock price stagnation.

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# 2. Loan Book & Asset Quality

## A. Key Figures
   *   **Disbursements:** **₹2,768 Cr** 9M FY26 (+9%) · **₹1,030 Cr** Q3 FY26 (+11%)
   *   **Asset Quality:** **1.56%** Gross NPA · **1.18%** Net NPA · **6.48%** 30+ DPD
   *   **Credit Cost:** **50 bps** 9M FY26
   *   **Impairment Charges:** **₹13.8 Cr** standalone (vs. ₹4.6 Cr QoQ)

## B. Disbursement Trends
   *   **Strategic Pivot:** Management intentionally moderated disbursement growth to prioritize portfolio quality, specifically exiting the **under-₹7 lakh** segment due to observed stress in MFI and small-ticket LAP.
   *   **Guidance Revision:** Annual growth outlook revised down to **22%–24%** (from 25%–28%) as the company offsets a **₹283 Cr** gap created by the discontinuation of smaller-ticket loans.
   *   **Segment Rationalization:** The shift away from low-value loans is a defensive move intended to persist until broader asset quality in the micro-segment returns to normalcy.

## C. NPA & Credit Costs
   *   **MSME Stress Factors:** Asset quality saw a slight uptick in NPAs and lower collection efficiency in the MSME book, attributed to seasonal festive volatility and customers diverting funds to consumption (healthcare/weddings).
   *   **Write-off Policy Impact:** The sharp sequential rise in impairment charges was driven by a policy change to write off assets exceeding **500 days**, a delayed impact now hitting the housing finance entity.
   *   **Credit Cost Outlook:** Despite the MSME "blip," management maintains a steady credit cost guidance of **0.5%**, asserting that underlying customer cash flows remain intact.

## D. Collection Efficiency
   *   **Recovery Efforts:** Intensified collection activity is underway to counter elevated bounce rates seen in early Q4; management expects a recovery rebound in the **Jan–Mar** period.
   *   **Risk Mitigation:** Confidence in long-term recovery is supported by conservative Loan-to-Value (LTV) ratios and healthy installment-income ratios.

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# 3. Product & Pricing

## A. Key Figures
   *   **Average Ticket Size (ATS):** **₹10–10.5 Lakhs** Target range (Up from **₹8–9 Lakhs**)
   *   **Discontinued Segment (<₹7L):** **10%–11%** of Total AUM · **₹432 Cr** 9M FY25 Disbursements
   *   **Incremental Rate Reduction:** **50–75 bps** Housing loan disbursements
   *   **Yield Impact:** **<10 bps** Estimated consolidated loan book impact
   *   **Product Mix (Combined AUM):** **48%–49%** Pure Home Loans (+2-3% QoQ)
   *   **MSME/SME Metrics:** **35%–40%** LTV ratio · **17%–20%** SME interest rates

## B. Ticket Size Strategy
   *   **Strategic Upscaling:** Management is intentionally increasing ticket sizes to capture higher-quality borrowers and offset rising construction costs, with a hard cap maintained at **₹15–18 lakhs**.
   *   **Segment Exit:** The company has phased out the sub-₹7 lakh category to improve customer profile, despite noting that asset quality (NPA levels) in this segment was not significantly different from larger loans.
   *   **Growth Offsets:** While the exit from small-ticket loans creates a **₹163 Cr** disbursement gap in Q4, the company expects new geographic expansion in Maharashtra and Odisha to mitigate the shortfall.

## C. Interest Rate & Competitive Landscape
   *   **Tactical Pricing:** Significant rate cuts on incremental housing loans were implemented to drive growth amid intensifying competition from PSU and Small Finance Banks.
   *   **Yield Resilience:** Despite aggressive pricing in the housing segment, the overall impact on portfolio yields is expected to be negligible due to the higher-yielding SME/MSME mix.

## D. Product Mix & Portfolio Quality
   *   **Reporting Realignment:** Recent shifts in product mix data reflect a transition to entity-based reporting (HFC vs. NBFC) rather than a fundamental change in business strategy or underlying yields.
   *   **MSME Structural Strength:** The MSME portfolio remains insulated by conservative underwriting, including low LTVs and security via self-occupied residential properties.
   *   **SME Opportunity:** The SME product (loans of **₹5–15 lakhs**) faces limited direct competition, providing a high-yield growth lever for the consolidated book.

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# 4. Geography & Distribution

## A. Key Figures
   *   **Disbursements:** **₹1,030 Cr** Q3 FY26 (+11%) · **₹2,768 Cr** 9M FY26 (+9%)
   *   **Branch Network:** **335 locations** as of Dec 31, 2025
   *   **State Growth (YTD):** **23%** Andhra Pradesh · **25%** Telangana · **15%** Tamil Nadu
   *   **Expansion Markets (Odisha/Maharashtra):** **₹109 Cr** Loan Book (vs. ₹54 Cr FY24)

## B. Core Market Performance
   *   **Strategic Pivot in AP:** Robust double-digit growth in Andhra Pradesh was maintained despite a high base and a deliberate shift away from loans under **₹7 lakhs**, successfully driving an increase in Average Ticket Size (ATS).
   *   **Tamil Nadu Recovery:** Momentum in the core state improved significantly; management is targeting a further lift to **17%-18%** growth following cluster-specific corrections, despite intense competition from peers like Aavas.
   *   **Rural Focus Advantage:** Minimal exposure to PMAY incentives persists as the company’s rural footprint sits outside the government's primary "PMAY Urban" eligibility criteria.

## C. Expansion States & Branch Network
   *   **Accelerated Physical Footprint:** Following the near-completion of **40** new branches in FY26, management plans to accelerate expansion with **60 to 70** additional branches in the next fiscal year.
   *   **Scaling New Geographies:** The loan book in Odisha and Maharashtra has doubled YoY; branch counts in these states are projected to reach **10 each** by year-end using standardized in-house sourcing.
   *   **Growth Levers:** Beyond physical expansion, the company is utilizing higher ATS and strategic interest rate reductions on home loans to capture market share.

## D. Sourcing Channels
   *   **Hybrid Lead Generation:** While maintaining a primary in-house sales model, a new "connector" channel was piloted in January across Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh to diversify lead sources.
   *   **Digital Integration:** Sourcing is increasingly supported by a centralized digital team and a construction ecosystem app that pre-screens leads against credit norms before branch hand-off.

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# 5. Funding & Capital

## A. Key Figures
   *   **Quarterly Fundraise:** **₹902 Cr** via NCDs, term loans, and securitization
   *   **Borrowing Mix:** **59%** Banks · **17%** NCDs · **11%** NHB
   *   **Debt Structure:** **61%** Variable-rate · **39%** Fixed-rate
   *   **Total Liquidity:** **₹1,877 Cr** (incl. **₹1,387 Cr** undrawn sanctions)
   *   **Direct Assignment:** **~₹165 Cr** executed in Q3

## B. Borrowing Profile & Strategy
   *   **Diversified Liability Base:** Maintained a balanced funding mix across banks and capital markets, with variable debt primarily linked to EBLR and MCLR benchmarks.
   *   **Cost Optimization:** Leveraging a recent credit rating upgrade to evaluate refinancing high-cost debt and optimizing the fixed-to-variable borrowing ratio.
   *   **Competitive Benchmarking:** Secured fresh credit facilities at a competitive rate of **7.95%**, reflecting improved market standing.

## C. Liquidity & Capital Allocation
   *   **Robust Liquidity Buffer:** Significant headroom for growth maintained through substantial undrawn bank sanctions and strategic direct assignment transactions for ALM.
   *   **Shareholder Returns Policy:** Initiated dividend payments as the primary mechanism for capital return, noting that regulatory constraints prevent NBFCs from conducting buybacks in India.

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# 6. Regulatory & Operational Risks

## A. Key Figures
   *   **Labor Code Impact:** **₹3.85 Cr** P&L debit (**₹3 Cr** net of tax)
   *   **Opex-to-AUM Ratio:** **2.7%** stable

## B. Human Capital & Competitive Landscape
   *   **Attrition as Primary Risk:** Management identifies the poaching of field-level, customer-facing staff by competitors as the most significant threat to operations.
   *   **HR-Centric Competition:** Competitive intensity in the affordable housing segment is viewed primarily as a personnel retention challenge rather than a threat to market demand or business volume.

## C. Operational Resilience & Macro Factors
   *   **Macro Volatility Mitigation:** Despite broader economic fluctuations, the firm has maintained consistent growth in revenue, margins, and ROE through disciplined risk management.
   *   **Strategic Balancing:** Current initiatives focus on scaling disbursement volumes while prioritizing risk resilience over aggressive growth rates.

## D. Regulatory & Cost Drivers
   *   **One-time Regulatory Costs:** Current operating expenses reflect the financial impact of the New Labour Code implementation.
   *   **Infrastructure Expansion:** Opex remains stable despite the integration of **40 recently opened branches** and investments in collection and sales teams.

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# 7. Guidance & Outlook

## A. Key Figures
   *   **AUM:** **₹12,330 Cr** Current (+21%) · **₹25,000 Cr** FY29 Target
   *   **Growth Guidance:** **22% to 24%** Long-term Sustainable Target
   *   **Credit Cost Guidance:** **0.5%** Projected through FY27

## B. AUM Growth Targets
   *   **Strategic Portfolio Rebalancing:** Management is intentionally exiting the sub-₹7 lakh loan segment to improve book quality; the run-down is expected to conclude within **15 to 18 months**.
   *   **Target Timeline Sensitivity:** While the long-term AUM objective remains intact, achieving the milestone may see a **one to two quarter** delay due to macro conditions and the shift away from smaller ticket sizes.
   *   **Growth Levers:** To offset the exit of smaller loans, the company is utilizing price optimization and a **connector channel** to capture higher-quality customers and larger ticket sizes.

## C. Long-term Projections
   *   **Credit Cost Stability:** Despite an aggressive write-off policy, credit costs are expected to remain steady at guided levels through FY27.
   *   **Guidance Calibration:** Management has moderated growth expectations from previous **28%-30%** levels to a more sustainable mid-20s range to prioritize organizational health over aggressive expansion.

## D. Strategic Growth Pillars
   *   **Operational Roadmap:** Future scaling is anchored on geographic expansion beyond South India and a focus on self-employed borrowers in **Tier 3 and Tier 4** markets.
   *   **Margin Preservation:** Sustaining NIMs will be driven by calibrated pricing on incremental home loans and enhanced data-driven productivity in sourcing and collections.