Shiva Cement Faces Financial Struggles Amid High Leverage and Declining Sales

Shiva Cement, a microcap player in the cement industry, has experienced significant volatility today, reaching a new 52-week low of Rs. 27.72. This decline comes after a series of four consecutive days of falling prices, although the stock has shown some resilience by outperforming its sector by 1.3% today. The company's long-term fundamentals appear weak, highlighted by a high debt-to-equity ratio of 6.15 times, indicating substantial leverage. Over the past year, Shiva Cement's performance has been disappointing, with a decline of 35.03%, contrasting sharply with the Sensex's marginal gain of 0.10%. The company's net sales have also suffered, with a reported drop of 40.7% in the latest quarter. Technical indicators suggest a bearish trend, as the stock is trading below its 5-day, 20-day, 50-day, 100-day, and 200-day moving averages. Additionally, the company's operating profits have stagnated, raising concerns about its financial health. With domestic mutual funds holding no stake in Shiva Cement, this may reflect a lack of confidence in the company's current valuation and business outlook.