Quarterly Results (Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4)

Investments

Listed companies in India report financial results every quarter: Q1 (April-June), Q2 (July-September), Q3 (October-December), Q4 (January-March). Results season creates market volatility as earnings surprises or disappointments drive sharp stock price moves.

In detail

Indian financial year quarters:nQ1: April - June (first quarter)nQ2: July - SeptembernQ3: October - DecembernQ4: January - March (year-end)nnDeadline for results declaration:nQ1, Q2, Q3: within 45 days of quarter endnQ4: within 60 daysnnKey metrics in quarterly results:nRevenue: top-line growthnEBITDA: operating profitabilitynPAT (Profit After Tax): bottom-linenEPS: earnings per share (basis for P/E ratio)nOrder book/Guidance: management outlooknnFor index investors: individual company results matter less -- focus on Nifty-level earnings trend.

Formula

P/E Ratio = Stock price / Earnings per share (EPS)nYoY growth = (Current quarter earnings - Same quarter last year) / Same quarter last year x 100

Real-life example

🇮🇳 India example

TCS Q2 FY25 results: Revenue grew 8.2% YoY, PAT grew 5% YoY -- below street expectation of 10% PAT growth. Stock fell 3% on results day despite overall positive numbers. Investor lesson: market prices in expectations, not just absolute performance. "Beat" consensus = stock rises; "miss" = stock falls even if absolute numbers are positive.

Frequently asked questions

Should retail investors time buys and sells around quarterly results? ▼

Highly risky. Results trading requires knowing consensus estimates AND ability to predict actual results -- both are extremely difficult even for professionals. Stocks often move opposite to intuitive logic (bad results, stock rises if expectations were worse). For retail investors: ignore quarterly result volatility and focus on long-term fundamentals and SIP discipline.