Kotak retains 'Buy' on Eternal, Swiggy; Blinkit stays best placed in quick commerce
Kotak Institutional Equities keeps 'Buy' on Eternal and Swiggy, citing Blinkit's NOV of Rs 17,277 cr (+88% YoY) outpacing Instamart. Blinkit added ~225 dark stores to ~2,470 and posted adj EBITDA of ~Rs 102 cr, while Instamart still runs a ~Rs 730 cr adj EBITDA loss. Fair values: Eternal Rs 385, Swiggy Rs 370.
What happened
Kotak retains 'Buy' on Eternal and Swiggy, expecting a stronger June quarter for Eternal, with Blinkit outpacing Instamart in quick commerce via faster NOV
Key facts
- Eternal food delivery NOV Rs 10,581 cr (+18% YoY)
- Blinkit NOV Rs 17,277 cr (+88%)
- Blinkit ~225 dark stores added, ~2,470 total
- Blinkit adj EBITDA ~Rs 102 cr
- food delivery EBITDA margin 5.2%
- Swiggy GOV Rs 9,703 cr (+20%)
- Instamart adj EBITDA loss ~Rs 730 cr
- FV Eternal Rs 385, Swiggy Rs 370
Why this matters
The widening Blinkit-Instamart gap on both growth and profitability strengthens Eternal's bargaining position and raises the strategic cost for Swiggy to close the quick-commerce lead through partnerships or capital deployment.
What to watch
- Next quarterly Blinkit NOV growth and dark-store count updates
- Instamart adj EBITDA loss trajectory (narrowing vs widening)
- Take-rate / AOV trends and platform fee changes across quick commerce
- Zepto funding rounds or IPO signals
- Consensus target-price revisions from other sell-side desks
- Eternal likely to keep guiding aggressive Blinkit store additions and highlight positive adj EBITDA in next earnings
- Swiggy to emphasize Instamart loss-narrowing roadmap and improving contribution margin to defend valuation
- Other brokerages likely to align target prices upward on Eternal following Kotak
- Zepto (private) may accelerate fundraising/expansion to avoid market-share erosion
Also reported by
- Entrackr — Same time