Deepinder Singh Goyal, the founder and CEO of Zomato, has become a billionaire after a record rally in Zomato shares since last year. The stock has jumped over 300 per cent since the low of July 2023. Goyal currently serves as Zomato's founder and CEO.
The stock set a new record of Rs 230 on the BSE and gained as much as 2 per cent during the day, with its market cap surging past Rs 1.8 trillion. With this, Goyal, 41, has become India’s richest professional manager with his net worth surging past £830 mn. Currently, Goyal has 369.5 mn shares or 4.24 per cent stake in the company.
The stock surged since the start of 2023 amid expectations its quick commerce business Blinkit may continue to outperform peers and turn profitable earlier than expected. The company had earlier said Blinkit may turn EBITDA break even in the first quarter of fiscal 2025. The food delivery business being a profitable unit has also boosted investor sentiment.
Zomato's Blinkit quick commerce business is growing rapidly, ahead of peers like Swiggy Instamart and Zepto, with no signs of slowing which is further cementing investor optimism. Recent reports indicate the company will increase investments even further, likely after Blinkit achieves break-even in Adj. EBITDA. This strategy is expected to propel Blinkit to surpass Zomato's food delivery business in terms of gross order value (GOV) sooner than anticipated, while also strengthening its position against increasing competition, analysts expect.
Analysts anticipate the company prioritizing growth investments over immediate profitability expansion to seize untapped market opportunities and establish long-term dominance. As a result, Blinkit's path to sustainable Adj. EBITDA margins (4-5% of GOV) may take longer compared to its food delivery margins post-break-even. However, various factors like advertising income, take-rates, operating leverage at store/warehouse and corporate levels ensure gradual profitability enhancement, even with reinvestment in efficiencies in the near term.
According to a recent Goldman Sachs note, Blinkit, the quick commerce firm owned by Zomato, now has a higher implied value than Zomato's core food delivery business. Blinkit is valued at $13 billion, up from $2 billion in March 2023, with a per-share value of Rs 119, surpassing food delivery at Rs 98.
Zomato’s food delivery EBITDA margin is among the highest globally, and similar results are expected for Blinkit.
From a middle-class background, Deepinder Goyal, an IIT Delhi graduate in Mathematics and Computing, was inspired by his passion for food to create an app for convenient meal ordering.
