Citi downgrades India to 'Underweight' amid earnings and geopolitical risks

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Citi has downgraded India's market rating to 'underweight' due to ongoing geopolitical and economic risks, including weak earnings growth projections. The brokerage cautioned that the effects of the Iran War may adversely impact earnings estimates for upcoming fiscal years.

Mumbai: Citi downgraded India to underweight, citing continued macroeconomic and geopolitical headwinds along with relatively weak earnings. The brokerage set a target of 27,000 on the Nifty, implying an upside of 11.7% above Friday's closing of 24,176."India has scored poorly in our model for some time, though macro/EPS inflection looks trickier amid headwinds from higher commodity prices," said Citi in a client note. "We note that positioning remains light and market pricing of EPS outcomes looks more reasonable than elsewhere."The brokerage said its earnings growth estimates for FY27 and FY28 are yet to fully reflect the impact of the Iran War.It's most bullish on banks, telecom, defence and pharma, while underweight on consumer, staples and IT services.