Ace investor Ashish Kacholia adds two more stocks to portfolio

Stock market investor Ashish Kacholia has added technology company Genesys International Corporation and newly listed SJS Enterprises to his portfolio, which is now worth over $250 million (Rs 1,950 crore).

These bets are in addition to the three new investments that Kacholia made during the quarter ended Dec. 31, as he continues to build his portfolio.

Kacholia bought a 1.95% stake in Genesys International which is now worth Rs 24.7 crore. The Mumbai-based company provides geospatial information systems, primarily involving digitization of maps, and conversion of paper-based drawings to the digital platform.

These tools are used by companies operating in industries such as urban development, utilities, natural resources, disaster management, telecom, civil engineering, construction, infrastructure, and media.

Shares of Genesys remained locked in at 5% upper limit on Monday. The stock quotes at Rs 405.55 apiece on the BSE and has gained over 40% since January 1, and returned more than 450% returns in the last one year.

The company has largely benefitted from the government’s decision to liberalise access to geospatial and remote sensing data in February 2021. It recently announced its plan to create high resolution 3D maps of 100 Indian cities by mid-2023.

SJS Enterprises

Kacholia also bet on SJS Enterprises, likely taking advantage of the drop in stock price after its listing in November 2021. SJS, which had set a price of Rs 542 per share for its IPO, listed at a discount and fell to a low of Rs 339.50. 

The exact time and price at which Kacholia bought a 3.8% stake is not publicly available, but his stake is now worth an estimated Rs 52 crore.

SJS shares were quoting at Rs 447.00 on the BSE on Monday, up 6.1% from the previous close.

The Bengaluru-based company is a leading player in the Indian decorative aesthetics industry. It offers a wide range of aesthetics products and caters to the requirements of the two-wheeler, passenger vehicle, commercial vehicle, consumer appliance, medical devices, farm equipment and sanitary ware industries.

Stake increases

Kacholia also increased his stakes in Ami Organics and Xpro India, to 2% and 2.9%, respectively, during the quarter ended Dec. 31.

Established in 2004, Ami Organics develops and manufactures different types of pharmaceutical intermediates, new chemical entities, and key starting material for agrochemicals and fine chemicals.

The company went public in September 2021 at Rs 610 apiece and jumped 50% on its debut. The stock touched a high of Rs 1,434.45 in mid-October before cooling off a bit.

Another company where Kacholia increased his stake is Xpro India, a Birla Group company that operates a polymers processing business.

The small-cap stock has risen almost 30 times since the beginning of 2021. At this time last year, Xpro India’s stock was quoting around Rs 35 apiece on the BSE.

Established in 1998, Kolkata-based Xpro India makes packaging material for capacitors and liners for refrigerators. The company hardly has any major competitor in this capital-intensive business.

Xpro enjoys a share of 33% in the domestic market. It is also one of the top manufacturers of co-extruded cast films and sheets (Coex division) which has a market share of over 70%. In 2020-21, 70% of its revenue came from the Coex division while the balance was contributed by the Biax division.

What Kacholia bought

In all, Kacholia added nine stocks to his portfolio during the three months ended December 31, after buying 10 stocks in the previous quarter.

Other stocks forming part of his portfolio include Kwality Pharmaceuticals, Somany Home Innovation, VRL Logistics, Gateway Distriparks, Faze Three, Venus Remedies, Sastasundar Ventures, and TARC.

He bought shares of three new companies last quarter. These were Igarshi Motors India, Yasho Industries and United Drilling Tools. Among these, his biggest exposure as on date appears to be in Yasho Industries.