Best Large Cap Stocks to buy now in India 2022

Updated – July 2022

In this article, we will cover,

1. What are large-cap companies
2. Important characteristics of Large-cap companies
3. Financial factors to keep in mind while collating the list of best large cap stocks to buy
4. A comprehensive and well-researched list of best large cap stocks to buy now
5. A model portfolio to gain exposure to the best large cap stocks in the Indian market
6. Portfolio companies
7. A detailed table offering an overview of the best large cap stocks to buy excluding the Banking and financial sector
8. A detailed table offering an overview of the best large-cap stocks to buy consisting of only the companies from the banking and financial sector

What are large-cap companies?

Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) defines large caps as 1st-100th company in terms of full market capitalization which means stocks from those companies that are ranked within the top 100 on the stock exchange in terms of market capitalization. Large cap stocks make up most of the equity market and generally form the core portfolio investments of many market participants. India’s market leading indices like the BSE SENSEX and NIFTY 50 comprises l`arge cap stocks only. Large cap stocks should be part of one’s investment portfolio as these companies generate stable revenues and earnings. Companies in large caps are stalwarts in their own industry and belong to the mature lot on exchanges.

Characteristics of Large-Cap Stocks Companies

Given the huge size, a large cap company is easily recognizable and financially stable with a large distribution network. These companies typically sell quality products and services that are widely accepted across the country. Because of these qualities such companies are more resilient to economic downturns. They may continue to grow or operate profitably even in adverse market conditions. And this is one of the reasons these companies are relatively less sensitive to wide market fluctuations when compared to Mid Cap and Small Cap companies. These companies are large and pretty well-established, having a history of consistent performance with stable and growing earnings and profits.  These companies are financially resilient with negligible to zero debt levels and are capable of surviving turbulent economic situations.

Further, it is often seen that a large cap business is less affected by unfavorable financial conditions during recessionary periods. It is imperative to note that an investor must look for operational efficiency in terms of stringent working capital requirement/ cycle along with superior cash conversion cycle. Investors are advised to avoid these large cap companies with high promoter pledge. Promoters with stable or increasing shareholding must be preferred over other large cap players.       

IInvesting in large cap stocks is recommended for investors with a conservative risk profile to meet their long term goals of at least 8-10 years. But investing in these companies is ideal for all investors to grow their wealth over a long period without exposing themselves to a lot of risk and volatility. Some portion of an investor’s portfolio can always be exposed to large caps stocks for stable less risky returns depending on their risk profile.

Financial factors to keep in mind while determining the best large-cap stocks to buy

Apart from the characteristics discussed above, an investor must keep a few key financial factors of large cap companies in mind before investing. Most of these companies in India have market capitalization greater than Rs. 50,000 Crs. These companies have a track record of consistently increasing their topline and operating margins on an upward trajectory.

They are generally debt free companies, however, a low and stable debt to equity ratio may also be considered as a significant characteristic. Large cap stocks tend to be dividend-paying stocks, allowing investors to generate a regular passive income. They generally do this to compensate investors for the largely stagnant stock prices as they have the earnings to do so. Also, these companies should have a high return ratio (both return on equity and return on capital employed), high interest coverage ratio, ability to consistently generate cash flows along with other factors. 

List of Large cap Stocks

Sr. No.	Company Name	BSE Scrip Code	NSE Symbol	CMP – July 2022	Rating	Industry
1	Reliance Industries Ltd.	500325	RELIANCE	2,509.65	0.5	Integrated Oil & Gas
2	Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.	532540	TCS	3,168.05	5	Information Technology
3	Hindustan Unilever Ltd.	500696	HINDUNILVR	2,625.25	5	FMCG
4	Infosys Ltd.	500209	INFY	1,499.30	4.5	Information Technology
5	Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd.	500010	HDFC	2,283	5	Finance – Housing
6	Bharti Airtel Ltd.	532454	BHARTIARTL	679.75	0.5	Telecom
7	ITC Ltd.	500875	ITC	298.8	4	FMCG
8	Asian Paints Ltd.	500820	ASIANPAINT	3,071.70	4	Chemical – Paints
9	Nestle India Ltd.	500790	NESTLEIND	18,902	5	FMCG
10	HCL Technologies Ltd.	532281	HCLTECH	919	4	Information Technology
11	Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.	532500	MARUTI	8,832	2	Automobiles & Ancillaries
12	Larsen & Toubro Ltd.	500510	LT	1,772.25	0.5	Infrastructure
13	Titan Company Ltd.	500114	TITAN	2,325.70	0.5	Diamond & Jewellery
14	Britannia Industries Ltd.	500825	BRITANNIA	3,874.60	3	FMCG
15	Bajaj Auto Ltd.	532977	BAJAJ-AUTO	4,052.75	5	Automobiles & Ancillaries
16	Eicher Motors Ltd.	505200	EICHERMOT	3,156.95	4.5	Automobiles & Ancillaries
17	Dr. Reddys Laboratories Ltd.	500124	DRREDDY	4,379.55	1	Pharmaceuticals & Drugs
18	Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.	524715	SUNPHARMA	870.35	2	Pharmaceuticals & Drugs
19	Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd.	500312	ONGC	132.05	1	Oil Exploration
20	Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd.	500547	BPCL	320.1	0.5	Refineries
21	Godrej Consumer Products Ltd.	532424	GODREJCP	875.1	2	FMCG
22	Hero Moto Corp Ltd.	500182	HEROMOTOCO	2,875	4.5	Automobiles & Ancillaries
23	HDFC Bank Ltd.	500180	HDFCBANK	1,388.50	5	Bank – Private
24	Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd.	500247	KOTAKBANK	1,834.35	4.5	Bank – Private
25	ICICI Bank Ltd.	532174	ICICIBANK	799.75	4	Bank – Private
26	Axis Bank Ltd.	532215	AXISBANK	722.35	3	Bank – Private
27	State Bank of India	500112	SBIN	515.7	0.5	Bank – Public

ITC Ltd.

ITC Ltd. has presence in diverse businesses and occupies a dominant position in the Indian cigarette market. It has also delivered strong sustainable profitability. ITC has excellently evolved from a pure tobacco company into a well-diversified scalable business conglomerate with a robust presence in paperboards, printing and packaging, agricultural commodities, hotels, branded packaged foods, personal care products, branded apparel, stationery, safety matches, agarbatti (incense sticks), and other FMCG products. It has lately added luxury chocolates, ghee, dairy and frozen food products to its branded packaged foods segment. Additionally, acquisition of Sunrise Foods Pvt. Ltd. is expected to further strengthen ITC’s market position in the spices segment and further improve diversity.

ITC is known for its healthy internal cash accrual, low debt, and robust liquidity. In Q4FY22, the consolidated operating margin stood at 34.1%. In the announced Union Budget of 2022 the government has kept excise on cigarettes unchanged to support the industry in the recovery of volumes which will provide a big boost for ITC’s dipping cigarette halved by the pandemic.

Risks include large, debt funded capital expenditure or acquisitions which may adversely impact financial risk profile increasing the debt to equity ratio, adverse regulatory changes in the cigarette industry which may have a material impact on the profit metrics and considerable decline in cash and investments. Lastly, the sticky stock prices have been successful in lowering the beta reducing the overall portfolio.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (HUL) is one of the largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods Companies in India with a heritage of over 80 years. Five of its brands generate annual turnover of over Rs. 2,000 Crs each and 7 brands generate annual turnover of over Rs. 1,000 Crs each. HUL caters to a variety of product ranges which include foods, beverages, cleaning agents, personal care products, and water purifiers.

A few famous brands have high visibility and sustained market leadership which is backed by an extensive distribution network and a strong advertising and marketing campaign. HUL has been leveraging its distribution strengths to adapt its channel strategy for its products and market segments.

On a consolidated basis, the financial risk profile is supported by strong net cash accrual and negligible debt as on FY22. HUL is known for its aggressive dividend payout policy with a dividend yield of 1.57%. The Indian FMCG industry is corroborated by both organised and unorganised players across segments and products and HUL continues to face stiff competition with the entry of new players including multinationals in all its major segments such as soaps and detergents, personal care products and packaged foods.

However, HUL’s strong financial risk profile and its leading position in the domestic FMCG industry would help to maintain its leadership position and tide through any economic slowdown and crisis.

Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. 

Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (TCS) Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (TCS) is a leader among Indian players in the global information technology and IT enabled services outsourcing segment and it has a diversified and growing client base with a wide range of services offered and scalable operations. TCS operates with a strong financial profile which is characterized by healthy revenue growth, recurring cash accruals and strong liquidity in the form of free cash reserves.

The Company has been able to maintain presence across diversified verticals and has a solid execution track record, which has aided it to build scale. TCS has demonstrated the ability to structure and execute large scale projects globally, enabling it to continually garner market share over its competitors in the past five fiscals.

Company has a large, diversified and growing client base with meaningful incremental addition of clients in the above USD 20 million, USD 50 million and USD 100 million buckets from previous fiscals and its superior execution ability has resulted in high repeat business which provides stability to the revenue stream. Financial profile of the company remains robust which is reflected in high operating profitability of 27.67%, strong capital structure and robust liquidity position in the form of a strong cash as of Q4FY22. Company’ attrition rate in IT services has spiked due to the supply side issues and was 17.4% as of Q3 FY22 which is the lowest in the industry.

Companies across the globe are spending more on initiatives built around digital technologies to drive business outcomes and this has slowed down revenue growth of IT players from traditional outsourcing businesses. TCS has a high concentration of revenues from the BFSI (almost one-third of revenues) segment, although the same is mitigated by its established relationship with clients as well as deep domain knowledge. However, this still remains a key risk for the company.

IT services companies like TCS continue to fight the challenging operating environment characterized by pressure on commoditized IT services, wage inflation, and higher onsite costs necessitated by visa curbs leading to increased local hiring as well as lower discretionary spend by corporate firms.   

Reliance Industries Ltd.

Reliance Industries (RIL), the flagship company of the Reliance group, is the largest private sector enterprise in India. RIL has a highly integrated nature of operations with presence across the entire energy value chain. It has diversified revenue streams, massive scale of downstream businesses with one of the most complex refineries, established leadership position in the petrochemical segment along with a strong financial risk profile characterized by robust capital structure, stable cash flows and healthy liquidity position.

RIL’s telecom arm, Reliance Jio is the largest operator in the country in terms of subscriber base with approximately 40.40 crore subscribers as of March, 2022. Company has been able to create a strong market position in the organized retail sector and has reduced its debt on a consolidated level. RIL announced a number of investments by strategic investors in its digital business and retail business to the tune of over Rs. 1.5 lakh Cr and recently concluded rights issue which will aid in deleveraging and improving its financial risk profile going forward.

The sharp run-up in crude oil and natural gas prices owing to the opening up of economic activities post the pandemic’s second wave has improved demand prospects for the oil and gas sector. Further, during FY22 RIL’s consolidated profits increased by 23.5% primarily on account of higher revenues from the consumer businesses. RIL has been able to consistently maintain healthy capital structure. As of FY22, its overall consolidated debt to equity ratio stood at 0.36x as compared to 0.77x as on FY20. Diversifying and gaining a leadership position into digital services and foray into the organized retail sector with grocery retailer Jio Mart have reduced the overall inherent cyclicality risks due to its O2C and petrochemical business.

The increasing exposure from its leveraged businesses to more consumer facing and digital initiatives is going to lead its future path. Additionally, RIL is at the cusp of new Investment cycle with announcement of new Capex plans worth USD 80 bn across green energy space.  It does face extreme competitive pressure in almost all verticals and there are other regulatory risks associated with the telecom segment. Any major debt funded capital expenditure can deteriorate its financial risk profile which could be a negative factor for RIL.

Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd.

Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd. (HDFC) is the market leader in the housing finance industry in India with a strong distribution network comprising 651 outlets. HDFC is known for long-standing track record of operations, adequate capitalisation levels, strong resource raising ability, strict underwriting standards, risk management procedures and healthy asset quality.

HDFC has proved its vast marketing as well as distribution network and its ability to raise resources at competitive rates. The Company has a strong business franchise of subsidiaries/ associates in Banking, Asset Management, Life Insurance, General Insurance, Educational loans and Real Estate funding. HDFC’s outstanding loan portfolio (net of provisions and loans sold) stood at Rs.6,539 bn as on FY22 and the average size of individual loans stood at Rs. 33 lakh in FY21 vs Rs. 29.5 lakh in FY20. As of FY22, 45% of  loans approved in value terms were from high income group, whereas the remaining 42% and 13% were from middle income group and lower income group. This NBFC continues to maintain healthy capitalization levels supported by its strong capital raising ability with Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of 22.8% with Tier-I CAR being 22.2% as on FY22.

HDFC continues to have one of the most stable asset quality parameters in the housing finance industry with Gross NPA ratio of 1.91%, though there was some moderation in asset quality in FY22. Key risks include weakening of the credit profile of the group as a whole, material deterioration in asset quality, increase in debt to equity ratio beyond 7 times among the few. The company has announced merger with HDFC Bank may lead to the synergies for the company leading to increased prospects and positive outlook.

Asian Paints Ltd.

Asian Paints Asian Paints enjoys a dominant share of over 50% in the organized domestic paints market. In the decorative paints segment, which comprises about 70-75% of the Indian paints industry, Asian Paints has a share of about 60%. It has also been able to garner a healthy position in the automotive industrial coatings segment with a market share of about 20%.

Driven by its leadership position, the company has registered a sales CAGR of 14.1% over the last five years. Strong brand equity, extensive distribution network, and wide product portfolio has enabled it to maintain a strong market position. Due to the company’s leadership position, it enjoys a healthy operating margin of 16.5% which is higher than peers. Debt to equity has always been less than 0.1 times over the past 5 years.

Asian Paints financial risk profile continues to remain strong, marked by a net debt free balance sheet as of FY22. Risk of intense competition (Grasim’s aggressive entry in Paint biz) or steep increase in any input prices may affect the profitability which may result in pressure on operating margins. Entry of large player like Grasim in the sector can jeopardize the leadership of the company becoming the key headwind for the company.

Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd.

Uday Kotak led, Kotak Mahindra Bank is one of India’s leading financial services conglomerates, providing a wide span of various financial and banking solutions with a reach of over 1467 branches and 2,705 ATMs across India. Kotak Mahindra Bank emerged as a player who adopted a prudent and cautious approach, targeting only high-rated customers and sectors. This aided the bank’s low levels of bad loan formation over the years (Net NPA at 1.21%). Bank’s deposit franchise continues to be granular and robust with deposit accretion staying healthy with an industry leading CASA ratio of 60.4%.

Kotak Bank has maintained its cautious stance towards unsecured retail, credit cards and small business lending. Bank’s 70% advances are given to corporate and business, home loans & LAP and agriculture segment, with corporate and business division having the highest exposure of nearly 40%.

The Large cap stocks are considered to be relatively safe and have well analyzed track records which make them less volatile. Since these companies are already mature and require less money for future growth, money is usually returned back to shareholders through dividends which is considered as a boon during an uncertain environment. Dividends added to the stock price appreciation leads to considerable returns for any investor. Therefore, an investor’s portion should always be allocated to these large caps names in order to cushion their portfolio during difficult and uncertain times.

Model Portfolio

In order to get an exposure to Best Large Cap Stocks, you would need a total of Rs. 32800.05 for the below curated portfolio as of July, 2022.

Company Name	Weightage	CMP – July  2022	Quantity	Total
Reliance Industries Ltd.	17%	2,509.65	2	5019.3
Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.	21%	3,168.05	2	6336.1
Hindustan Unilever Ltd.	8%	2,625.25	2	5250.5
Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd.	14%	2,283	2	4566
Asian Paints Ltd.	16%	3,071.70	2	6143.4
ITC Ltd.	12%	298.8	15	4482
Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd.	11%	1,834.35	2	3668.7
Total				35466

You could invest in the above model portfolio or if you’d like to invest in a ready-made basket of stocks without having to worry about researching the same, you could invest and create wealth with StockBasket.

How should one evaluate and research best large cap stocks to buy?

Check out our video on how you can build your own checklist and identify the best large cap stocks to buy in India.

Detailed overview of Best Large cap stocks to buy (Excluding Banking Companies):

The table below covers an overview of the best large cap stocks to buy (ex banks and financials).

Sr. No.	Company Name	BSE Scrip Code	NSE Symbol	CMP – July 2022	Rating	Industry	Market Cap (in Crs)	Compounded Sales Growth (5 years)	Compounded Profit Growth (5 years)	Operating Profit Margin (%)	Price to Earnings (times)	Price to Sales (times)	EV/EBITDA	Debt to equity (times)	Dividend Yield (%)	Return on Equity (%)	Return on Capital Employed (%)
1	Reliance Industries Ltd.	500325	RELIANCE	2,509.65	0.5	Integrated Oil & Gas	1,893,271.70	18.16	14.41	15.78	32.33	2.7	17.02	0.36	0.26	8.15	9.63
2	Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.	532540	TCS	3,168.05	5	Information Technology	1,253,792.00	10.2	7.83	27.67	32.69	6.54	21.79	0.09	1.27	43.64	54.87
3	Hindustan Unilever Ltd.	500696	HINDUNILVR	2,625.25	5	FMCG	516,170.00	9.6	15.65	24.51	57.91	9.84	39.13	0.02	1.57	18.43	24.35
4	Infosys Ltd.	500209	INFY	1,499.30	4.5	Information Technology	637,259.40	12.18	9.16	25.89	28.92	5.24	18.6	0.07	2.09	28.98	37.09
5	Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd.	500010	HDFC	2,283	5	Finance – Housing	411,023.40	17.37	15.38	34.5	18.24	3.02	16.38	2.82	1.33	13.44	8.6
6	Bharti Airtel Ltd.	532454	BHARTIARTL	679.75	0.5	Telecom	383,460.50	4.07	-3.38	49.37	104.23	3.29	8.92	2.55	0	5.86	11.97
7	ITC Ltd.	500875	ITC	298.8	4	FMCG	333,775.50	7.24	8.36	34.05	21.85	5.5	14.64	0	4.23	24.82	33.67
8	Asian Paints Ltd.	500820	ASIANPAINT	3,071.70	4	Chemical – Paints	257,808.40	14.08	9.71	16.51	83.72	8.86	50	0.11	0.73	23.15	29.73
9	Nestle India Ltd.	500790	NESTLEIND	18,902	5	FMCG	161,671.30	9.98	18.14	23.78	69.8	10.72	43.59	0.13	1.22	113.08	147.06
10	HCL Technologies Ltd.	532281	HCLTECH	919	4	Information Technology	279,073.40	12.48	9.51	23.97	20.74	3.26	12.63	0.1	3.14	22.16	25.65
11	Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.	532500	MARUTI	8,832	2	Automobiles & Ancillaries	239,414.90	5.34	-8.09	6.46	61.68	2.71	31.1	0.01	0.57	7.2	8.87
12	Larsen & Toubro Ltd.	500510	LT	1,772.25	0.5	Infrastructure	224,289.30	7.44	7.74	15.44	26.04	1.43	12.51	1.52	1.15	10.81	11.23
13	Titan Company Ltd.	500114	TITAN	2,325.70	0.5	Diamond & Jewellery	189,924.10	16.78	23.37	11.6	85.85	6.59	54.72	0.78	0.19	26.33	21.38
14	Britannia Industries Ltd.	500825	BRITANNIA	3,874.60	3	FMCG	81,293.00	9.32	11.38	15.57	53.65	5.75	34.5	0.97	1.69	49.66	41.51
15	Bajaj Auto Ltd.	532977	BAJAJ-AUTO	4,052.75	5	Automobiles & Ancillaries	112,184.60	8.79	6.25	15.84	20.32	3.38	15.65	0	3.57	19.35	23.86
16	Eicher Motors Ltd.	505200	EICHERMOT	3,156.95	4.5	Automobiles & Ancillaries	74,263.30	7.92	0.11	21.09	44.33	7.21	26.8	0.01	0.64	13.94	18.23
17	Dr. Reddys Laboratories Ltd.	500124	DRREDDY	4,379.55	1	Pharmaceuticals & Drugs	71,997.50	8.7	11.75	17.49	32.97	3.34	16.88	0.18	0.6	11.78	14.53
18	Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.	524715	SUNPHARMA	870.35	2	Pharmaceuticals & Drugs	205,958.90	4.13	-0.92	26.9	31	5.33	17.86	0.03	0.9	14.02	18.42
19	Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd.	500312	ONGC	132.05	1	Oil Exploration	208,329.50	13.48	14.33	15.02	4.5	0.39	3.64	0.47	4.32	19.56	16.83
20	Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd.	500547	BPCL	320.1	0.5	Refineries	72,214.40	11.5	4.42	5.52	6.67	0.21	5.86	1.24	13.18	20.55	15.58
21	Godrej Consumer Products Ltd.	532424	GODREJCP	875.1	2	FMCG	78,043.40	5.78	6.69	19.51	43.53	6.36	31.64	0.15	0	17.06	18.53
22	Hero Moto Corp Ltd.	500182	HEROMOTOCO	2,875	4.5	Automobiles & Ancillaries	51,884.90	0.65	-7.67	10.98	22.44	1.76	13.73	0.04	3.39	14.82	19.17

Detailed overview of Best Large-cap stocks to buy (Banking Companies):

While the above table covers an overview of the best large cap stocks to buy excluding banks and financial companies. The table below covers banks and financial companies. These have been segregated since the parameters that an investor should track are different for Financial v/s non financial companies.

Sr. No.	Company Name	BSE Scrip Code	NSE Symbol	CMP – July 2022	Rating	Industry	Market Cap (in Crs)	Price to Book (times)	Return on Equity (%)	Return on Assets (%)	Net Interest Margin (%)	GNPA%	NNPA%	CASA Ratio (%)	NII (3 years CAGR)	PAT (3 years CAGR)	CRAR	Deposits Growth (%)	Advances Growth (%)	Provision Coverage Ratio (%)	Cost to income ratio (%)
1	HDFC Bank Ltd.	500180	HDFCBANK	1,388.50	5	Bank – Private	764,704.63	3.6	18.14	2.12	4.00%	1.17%	0.32%	48.20%	12%	19%	18.90%	16.80%	20.80%	73.00%	38.30%
2	Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd.	500247	KOTAKBANK	1,834.35	4.5	Bank – Private	370,408.60	4.39	14.25	2.52	4.78%	2.34%	0.64%	60.70%	3%	19%	22.69%	11.30%	21.30%	73.20%	46.50%
3	ICICI Bank Ltd.	532174	ICICIBANK	799.75	4	Bank – Private	509,665.68	3.2	15.93	1.69	4.00%	3.60%	0.76%	45.00%	19%	81%	19.16%	14.20%	17.10%	79.90%	40.50%
4	Axis Bank Ltd.	532215	AXISBANK	722.35	3	Bank – Private	203,059.74	1.95	13.63	1.41	3.49%	2.82%	0.73%	45.00%	8%	41%	18.50%	17.70%	15.00%	75.00%	35.00%
5	State Bank of India	500112	SBIN	515.7	0.5	Bank – Public	416,645.45	1.53	14.71	0.88	3.40%	3.97%	1.00%	45.28%	13%	166%	13.83%	10.10%	11.60%	75.04%	53.31%

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