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As Bengaluru reels under severe water shortage, Anand Mahindra, chairman of the Mahindra Group, has sparked a dialogue on water conservation by posting a video on social media demonstrating a clever method for reusing air conditioner water. The billionaire, known for his active presence on social platforms, emphasized the necessity of widely adopting this technique throughout India.In his post on X, Mahindra urged for this method to become standard practice across India wherever air conditioners are used, emphasizing the value of water and the importance of storing it safely.The video showcases a person demonstrating an innovative approach to conserve and reuse water from their air conditioning unit. By attaching a pipe to the AC and installing a tap at the end, the individual can access the collected water for various purposes such as cleaning, gardening, and other household needs. Stressing the importance of water conservation, the video encourages viewers to embrace similar strategies."This is a very important message for people in Bengaluru and where we have a lot of water shortage. AC water can be easily collected and this is a very smart way of collecting about 100 litre AC water in a controlled way. we need to respect water. Every drop of matters. 5000 of these systems have been installed across India," the person says in the video voice-over. The video, shared on March 16, has garnered significant traction online, accumulating over 1 million views. Many social media users expressed their appreciation for the technique.Bengaluru, known as India's technology hub, is facing water scarcity issues due to a drought, and the situation is expected to worsen as summer approaches. With a population of 13 million, authorities are resorting to supplying water through tankers as thousands of borewells dry up due to insufficient rainfall. Some reports have mentioned residents using mall toilet or even skipping offices due to the water shortage. — anandmahindra (@anandmahindra) "Bengaluru now faces a concerning water crisis, even before the peak of summer hits. It's time to wake up & take action. Bengaluru has 11,000 borewells under BWSSB control & staggering 4.5 lakh private borewells. About 40% of these have dried up or are dangerously low on water," said an user. Another user, echoing the sentiment, said: "I have always thought about that such an massive amount of water is getting wasted from AC and that this must be used for some purpose. It's really impressive that someone actually executed this idea. With small execution a lot can happen."

Global brokerage firm Jefferies has released a list of 11 stocks that it believes can deliver 15-25% CAGR over the next five years. Stocks with the highest upside include Macrotech, Axis Bank, Max Healthcare and Amber.Here's the full list of 11 stocks that Jefferies has told clients to bet on for the next five years.1) Amber Enterprises: Expected to benefit from India's manufacturing growth story.Target price: Rs 9,740Upside potential: 2.9x2) Ambuja Cement: Strong demand expected from capex upcycle, driving 19% EBITDA CAGR.Target price: Rs 1,250Upside potential: 2.1x3) Axis Bank: Expected to see 17% loan and 18% EPS CAGR over FY24-29.Target price: Rs 2,810Upside potential: 2.7x4) Bharti Airtel: Anticipated strong EBITDA growth with moderating capex.Target price: Rs 2,530Upside potential: 2.1xAlso read | Too little, exclaims Kotak Equities after multi-billion dollar smallcap crash5) JSW Energy: Planning a 3x increase in power capacity to 20GW by FY30, with renewable energy share rising to 80%.Target price: Rs 1,100Upside potential: 2.2x6) L&T: Targeting more than 15% revenue CAGR over FY23-30.Target price: Rs 7,564Upside potential: 2.1x7) Macrotech Developers: Expected to experience a strong housing cycle, driving 17.5% CAGR in pre-sales growth.Target price: Rs 3,000Upside potential: 3x8) Max Healthcare: Doubling bed capacity to address under penetration in quality healthcare.Target price: Rs 1,925Upside potential: 2.7x9) SBI: Forecasts 13% loan growth driven by retail, SME & corporate segments, alongside ROA expansion beyond 1%.Target price: Rs 1,860Upside potential: 2.5x10) TVS Motor Company: Positioned as a key beneficiary of the revival in Indian two-wheeler demand and transition to electric vehicles.Target price: Rs 5,000Upside potential: 2.4x11) Zomato: Low penetration levels in core segments provide a substantial growth runway.Target price: Rs 400Upside potential: 2.5x(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

Brokerage firm Morgan Stanley maintained an overweight rating on RIL and an overweight rating on Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). Sharekhan recommended a buy on ICICI Bank and ICICIdirect has a buy rating on PCBL.We have collated a list of recommendations from top brokerage firms from ETNow and other sources:Morgan Stanley on RIL: Overweight| Target Rs 3046Morgan Stanley maintained an overweight rating on Reliance Industries with a target price of Rs 3046.The brokerage firm believes that the share price will rise in absolute terms over the next 60 days. As global fuel markets tighten up, chemical margins show signs of improvement. Net debt is also showing signs of reduction.Cheaper global ethane prices should add to the upside as well. Tailwinds of multiple catalysts are coming together.Morgan Stanley on IOC: Overweight| Target Rs 191Morgan Stanley maintained an overweight rating on IOC with a target price of Rs 191. The global investment bank believes that the share price will rise in absolute terms over the next 60 days.The recent retail fuel cut was at the lower end of our expectation, removing a key overhang, said the note.Morgan Stanley believes that IOCL remains the main beneficiary as India's largest refiner. It expects earnings upcycle driven by above mid-cycle integrated margins.Sharekhan on ICICI Bank: Buy| Target Rs 1300Sharekhan maintained a buy rating on ICICI Bank with a target price of Rs 1300. Pressure on net interest margins (NIMs) is likely to persist in the near term, but we still see the bank sustaining its RoA at over ~2% in the near to medium term.Pressure on NIMs is expected to be partly offset by contained opex growth. Deposit growth continues to be in line with loan growth and LDR remains lowest among large private banks thus loan growth outlook continues to remain healthy for the bank.The asset quality continues to be healthy along with a strong provisioning buffer outside PCR (1.1% of loans) should keep credit cost lower.“We believe that among large private banks, it is well-positioned to deliver superior growth/return trajectory. The stock trades at 2.3x/1.9x its FY2025E/FY2026E core BV estimates,” said the Sharekhan report.ICICIdirect on PCBL: Buy| Target Rs 330ICICIdirect maintained a buy rating on PCBL with a target price of Rs 330. PCBL Ltd (erstwhile Phillips Carbon Black) is the leading manufacturer of carbon black, which is used as a reinforcing material in tyres.PCBL also derives ~9% of sales volume from specialty carbon black, which fetches high margins and finds application in paints, plastics among others.It has a healthy margin profile, capital-efficient business model (RoCE>15%). Recently, it acquired speciality chemical company i.e. Aquapharm Chemicals Pvt. Ltd in water treatment and industrial cleaning chemicals space.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)

The Rs 6.76 lakh crore blockbuster rally in PSU bank stocks, which gave 7 multibaggers in last one year, is now staring at a turning point as the Sebi deadline to meet 25% minimum public shareholding (MPS) rule ends this August.Besides improvement in fundamentals such as sharp earnings growth and the turnaround in asset quality, one of the factors behind the bull run is the low free float factor. Out of the 7 PSU banks which have more than doubled investor wealth in the last one year, Punjab National Bank (PNB) meets the 25% criteria while Union Bank Of India became compliant last month following a Rs 3,000 crore QIP.The government now has to cut its stake in all the remaining five multibaggers - Bank Of Maharashtra, Central Bank Of India, UCO Bank, Indian Overseas Bank and Punjab & Sind Bank (PSB). <iframe title="PSU banks: Link between free float and share prices" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-8BLqB" src="https://et-infographics.indiatimes.com/graphs/8BLqB/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="506" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();</script>With a government shareholding of 98.25%, PSB has delivered an impressive 126% return over the past year. Similarly, Indian Overseas Bank, with a government shareholding of 96.38%, has witnessed a remarkable 160% return. Among all the 12 PSU banks, IOB is also the most expensive stock as it is valued at a price-to-book value of 4.73.The story is similar for UCO Bank, Central Bank, and Bank of Maharashtra, all having significantly high government shareholdings.A high promoter holding, in this case government holding, can lead to an artificial mismatch between demand and supply as fewer shares are available for the public to buy and sell.Sebi rules, therefore, mandate all listed companies to have a minimum 25% public float but with some exceptions. PSU banks, for example, have been given time till August 2024 to meet the norms."It may opt for Follow-on Public Offers (FPOs), QIPs or offload some stake via ETF routes like the Bharat 22 ETF," Yashovardhan Khemka of Abans Holdings said.A potential increase in free float can, on one hand, create a supply overhang for share prices to march upwards, but on the other hand it can also allow more investors to recognize the strong fundamentals and value potential of these PSU bank stocks."As more shares become available for trading, liquidity increases, and a broader range of investors can access these stocks. This increased accessibility could lead to greater market efficiency and better price discovery, ensuring that the stocks trade closer to their fair value over the long term. Therefore, while low free float may have posed challenges in the past, increasing free float could unlock the full potential of these fundamentally strong stocks and benefit both investors and the companies alike," Shreyansh V.Shah, Research Analyst, StoxBox, said.Also read | PSU bank stocks ride past private sector peers in 2024, but how long will good days last?Beyond the float factorWhile a direct correlation between low free float and high share prices have been seen in many PSUs, the future trajectory of stock prices would also depend on valuations and growth outlook.Since 2019, PSU banks have grown net revenues at a 17.8% CAGR versus private banks 14.9%, despite working from a larger revenue base. A massive and impressive turnaround has been seen in gross NPAs which has dropped from a peak of 14.6% to 3.7% in Q3, shows calculations done by Ambit Global.Banks like Bank of Maharashtra, IOB, and UCO Bank have witnessed marked improvements in their GNPA levels over time, mainly due to declining slippages and improving recoveries.Analysts say the significant discount relative to book value on a forward basis makes these banks more attractive to investors seeking value opportunities in the market."We believe that while the PSU rally has been sharp and the sector has seen significant re-rating, the stock valuations still look reasonable in context to business growth and profitability. PSU banks are well positioned to pursue healthy growth (given ample balance sheet liquidity) and maintain resilient margins as they benefit from residual MCLR repricing. The decline in bond-yields, along with continued improvement in credit cost (barring SBI), will support healthy profitability," Motilal Oswal's Nitin Aggarwal said.(Data: Ritesh Presswala)(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)