Roto Pumps operating cash flow falls despite profit gain

Roto Pumps Ltd. generated Rs 16.6631 crore of net operating cash in the half-year ended September 30, 2026, down from Rs 24.317 crore a year earlier, although net profit rose to Rs 29.8304 crore. A Rs 15.4092 crore increase in trade receivables, alongside inventory and other operating-asset outflows, reduced cash generated from operations.

Why did Roto Pumps' operating cash flow fall?

Roto Pumps' net cash generated from operating activities fell by Rs 7.6539 crore to Rs 16.6631 crore in the half-year ended September 30, 2026, despite operating profit before working-capital changes rising to Rs 44.7038 crore from Rs 30.1791 crore in the corresponding 2025 period. Net direct tax paid was Rs 5.1021 crore, compared with Rs 5.0542 crore a year earlier.

The difference arose after working-capital movements. Cash generated from operations before tax fell to Rs 21.7652 crore from Rs 29.3712 crore even though the starting operating-profit measure increased. Trade receivables used Rs 15.4092 crore in the latest half-year, compared with a Rs 7.624 crore cash inflow in the year-earlier half, creating a Rs 23.0332 crore adverse swing between the two periods.

Inventories absorbed Rs 7.1263 crore in the latest half-year, below the Rs 8.7505 crore outflow in the prior-year period. Other current assets used Rs 6.3046 crore, loans used Rs 0.4367 crore and other current financial assets used Rs 1.5235 crore. Inflows from trade payables, other current financial liabilities and other current liabilities totalled Rs 8.3188 crore, but did not offset those operating-asset movements.

How much did Roto Pumps' receivables increase?

Roto Pumps' trade receivables rose by Rs 15.4092 crore to Rs 90.156 crore at September 30, 2026, from Rs 74.7468 crore at March 31, 2026. The consolidated cash-flow statement records the increase as a working-capital outflow during the half-year ended September 30, 2026.

Inventory also increased, reaching Rs 77.8436 crore at September 30 from Rs 70.7173 crore at March 31. The receivables and inventory increases together were Rs 22.5355 crore, while current assets as a whole rose to Rs 234.078 crore from Rs 207.5925 crore over the same six months.

The balance-sheet movements also included a Rs 5.8497 crore rise in other current liabilities, a Rs 1.3311 crore increase in other current financial liabilities and a Rs 1.1385 crore increase in trade payables in the cash-flow statement. Trade payables on the balance sheet comprised Rs 6.6566 crore due to micro and small enterprises and Rs 19.9093 crore due to other creditors at September 30, 2026.

Did Roto Pumps' revenue and profit rise in the half-year?

Roto Pumps' revenue from operations rose to Rs 175.7418 crore in the half-year ended September 30, 2026 from Rs 130.6475 crore a year earlier, while consolidated net profit increased to Rs 29.8304 crore from Rs 12.2548 crore. Profit before tax rose to Rs 38.3612 crore from Rs 18.943 crore over the same comparison.

The September 2026 quarter contributed Rs 20.5842 crore of net profit and Rs 100.1459 crore of revenue from operations, compared with Rs 9.2462 crore and Rs 75.5959 crore respectively in the June 2026 quarter. Basic and diluted earnings per share for the half-year were Rs 1.58, compared with Rs 0.65 in the half-year ended September 30, 2025.

The cash-flow reconciliation added back Rs 7.9563 crore of depreciation and Rs 1.558 crore of finance cost and interest on lease liabilities combined in the latest half-year. It also deducted Rs 2.3424 crore for net gains on fair valuation of derivative contracts, producing the reported Rs 44.7038 crore operating profit before working-capital changes.

What changed in Roto Pumps' assets, funding and cash?

Roto Pumps' total assets increased to Rs 383.8894 crore at September 30, 2026 from Rs 346.2003 crore at March 31, 2026. Property, plant and equipment rose to Rs 89.2765 crore from Rs 76.0616 crore, while capital work-in-progress declined to Rs 9.9074 crore from Rs 17.7209 crore.

The consolidated balance sheet reported cash and cash equivalents of Rs 20.6674 crore at September 30, 2026, compared with Rs 16.5751 crore at March 31, 2026. Separately, the cash-flow statement reported cash and cash equivalents of Rs 26.1814 crore at the end of the half-year, up Rs 3.4091 crore from Rs 22.7723 crore at the beginning of the year.

Current borrowings rose to Rs 21.497 crore from Rs 19.2638 crore, while non-current borrowings declined to Rs 0.7517 crore from Rs 0.9212 crore. Current lease liabilities increased to Rs 8.2808 crore from Rs 2.6658 crore. Total equity was Rs 266.1525 crore at September 30, 2026, compared with Rs 240.2517 crore at March 31, 2026.

How did investing and financing cash flows affect Roto Pumps' cash?

Roto Pumps used Rs 8.38 crore in investing activities during the half-year ended September 30, 2026, compared with Rs 12.4152 crore in the prior-year half. Payments for property, plant and equipment were Rs 6.3381 crore, capital work-in-progress payments were Rs 0.0224 crore, and a goodwill or non-controlling adjustment used Rs 5.1053 crore.

Financing activities used Rs 4.874 crore, below the Rs 22.9034 crore outflow in the corresponding 2025 half-year. The latest period included Rs 3.5805 crore of dividends paid, Rs 2.4545 crore of lease-liability payments and Rs 0.9027 crore of interest paid, partly offset by Rs 2.2332 crore from current borrowings.

The operating inflow of Rs 16.6631 crore, investing outflow of Rs 8.38 crore and financing outflow of Rs 4.874 crore resulted in a Rs 3.4091 crore increase in cash and cash equivalents. Roto Pumps' operations predominantly comprise the Pumps & Spares segment, and its consolidated unaudited results were approved by the board on November 11, 2026.

Conclusion

Roto Pumps reported substantial half-year increases in revenue and net profit, but its operating cash flow moved in the opposite direction. The principal disclosed factor was the Rs 15.4092 crore increase in trade receivables, compounded by Rs 7.1263 crore absorbed by inventories and other operating-asset outflows, which outweighed liability-related inflows.

The next reporting period should clarify whether the Rs 90.156 crore receivables balance and Rs 77.8436 crore inventory balance reverse into cash collections and lower working-capital use. The filing discloses no separate cash-flow target or receivables-collection plan, leaving those balance-sheet movements as the unresolved items to watch.