Logistics services provider Blue Dart Express Ltd on Wednesday reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 90 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 2021. The company had posted a net loss of Rs30.57crore in the January-March period a year ago, Blue Dart Express said in a BSE filing. Total income was up 34.11 percent to Rs 975.64 crore as against Rs727.49crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal. Total expenses were at Rs853.63crore, up12.49 percent from Rs 758.87 crore inQ4 FY20.

For the fiscal year 2020-21, the company reported a net profit of Rs101.81crore. It had logged a net loss of Rs41.86crore in the previous year. Total income for the entire fiscal was at up3.69 percent to Rs3,308.43 crore compared to Rs3,190.65crore earlier.

Blue Dart Express Managing Director Balfour Manuel said, ”We look back with pride on our performance in the financial year delivered with the support of all our stakeholders! It has been a challenge to navigate through the pandemic and the lockdowns, however, our single-minded customer-centricity combined with tenacity and the organisation’s ability to perform has helped us during this time.” Abot the outlook, he said the company is ”cautiously optimistic” about the new financial year against the backdrop of the current wave and the impending third wave of the pandemic.

”While we had started reaping the benefit of cost efficiency measures and restructuring exercise in the quarter under consideration, lockdown due to Covid-19 in the second fortnight of March impacted our revenues and bottom line. ”…we expect to see our operations coming to near normal soon after the lockdown is lifted, thanks to passionate Blue Darters who are ever willing to meet and exceed customers’ expectations,” he added.

In a separate filing, Blue Dart said its board on Wednesday recommended a dividend of Rs 15 per share for the year ended March 31, 2021. Shares of Blue Dart Express Ltd on Wednesday settled at Rs5,319.80on BSE, up 2.01 percent from the previous close.

First Published:May 6, 2021 10:57 AM IST