Stocks to buy, sell and hold

Geojit BNP Paribas has reiterated its buy rating on Godrej Consumer Products with a target price of Rs 1,460 citing that the company delivered improvement in gross and EBITDA margins for the December quarter. The brokerage said it expects the company’s continued focus on niche categories and innovative product launches will help it beat industry growth rate in the next 2-3 years. The stock fell 0.98% to Rs 1,243.50 on Thursday.

JP Morgan has reiterated its overweight rating on United Spirits with a target price of Rs 3,130 citing that the company is a structural play on the Indian liquor space and has attractive long-term growth prospects. The brokerage estimates a terminal growth rate of 5% and ascribed Rs 47 per share for the IPL franchise.United Spirits fell 1.1% to Rs 2,480.55 on Thursday.

Sunidhi Research has retained a buy rating on Geometric with a target price of Rs 188 citing the company’s robust pipeline, quality of deals, margin improvement initiatives, and the sustained demand environment in software & engineering segment. It estimates the share to trade at a P/E of 12.5x in FY17. Geometric surged 4.37% to Rs 165.90 on Thursday.

Jefferies Equity Research has upgraded its rating to buy on Tech Mahindra but cut its target price to Rs 530. The brokerage said the markets are discounting the merits of the fast-growing nontelecom business and steady margin improvement. It said it estimates P/E to be 12.5x by FY17. Tech Mahindra rose 1.12% to Rs 461.2 on Thursday.