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Stock market today: The Indian stock market ended with decent gains on Monday, 25 August, led by buying in select IT and financial heavyweights, including Infosys, TCS, HCL Tech, and HDFC Bank.

The Sensex closed at 81,635.91, up 329 points, or 0.40%, while the Nifty 50 settled at 24,967.75, up 98 points. However, the mid- and small-cap segments underperformed. The BSE Midcap index rose 0.10%, while the Smallcap index slipped marginally.

Against this backdrop, market expert Raja Venkatraman has released his top stock recommendations for investors seeking opportunities today, 26 August. His analysis provides a clear roadmap for navigating the current market landscape with confidence.

Why it is recommended: Skipper has delivered a powerful combination of financial strength, sectoral relevance and managerial acumen. In FY25, it achieved a 41% jump in consolidated sales to ₹4,624 crore, while holding operating margins around 9.7% and lifting net profit by 83% to ₹149 crore, yielding a healthy ROE of roughly 12.5% despite moderate leverage (debt‐to‐equity near 2.8×).

Its core transmission‐tower business sits at the heart of India’s renewable‐energy rollout, while the PVC pipes division underpins urban water infrastructure and the telecom‐tower segment rides the 5G and data‐centre expansion.

Backed by promoters with over four decades of industry expertise, Skipper’s integrated model, spanning heavy engineering, PVC extrusion and EPC services, diversifies revenue and deepens value capture. Ongoing investments in automated fabrication lines, high‐tensile alloys and corrosion‐resistant coatings underscore its commitment to innovation, positioning the company to scale alongside India’s power‐transmission and sustainability ambitions.

As we take a look at the charts the last few days have been quite challenging and the attempt to move higher has not met with favourable response yet. A sharp drop into value support zone around 480 managed to holding back the selloff in the last few trading sessions.

However, the strong thrust to the upside followed by robust volume that has emerged at lower levels have clearly highlighted that the trends ahead could be resolutely heading higher. Some support from the Average Directional Index (ADX) is hinting at tan upward trajectory has certified that the momentum to the upside could now pick up. As the overall market bias continues to be selective engagement one can consider possibility of moving higher in the coming days.

In conclusion, Skipper’s robust fundamentals, strategic exposure to high-growth infrastructure themes and proactive R&D initiatives combine to create a compelling long-term growth story for discerning investors.

Why it is recommended: CreditAccess Grameen combines resilient financial metrics, high-impact sector positioning and forward-looking leadership. In the past fiscal year, its assets under management grew by over 20 percent to around ₹15,000 crore, while consolidated net profit climbed by roughly 30 percent, underpinned by operating margins in the mid-teens, a gross non-performing asset ratio below 1 percent and capital-adequacy north of 30 percent.

As India’s largest NBFC-MFI, it sits squarely at the intersection of financial inclusion and digital finance, a sector poised for accelerated growth as rural credit penetration and smartphone adoption rise. Its network of 2,114 branches reaches more than 4.5 million customers, and its product suite—from income-generation loans to sanitation and healthcare financing—aligns with government-backed inclusion schemes and the broader push toward sustainable development.

Management and innovation form a powerful third pillar. Guided by executives steeped in both commercial banking and social-sector mandates, CreditAccess Grameen has embraced technology partnerships—most notably with Siemens’ Mendix low-code platform—to roll out a custom branch-auditing application that slashed audit cycles by 15.6% in just six months. Complementary digital initiatives, including AI-driven credit scoring and mobile-first loan origination, are sharpening its competitive edge and operational agility.

This calendar year has been very rewarding for this counter. With a display of frequent long body candle the stock has been This counter has been steadily making a higher high higher low in this calendar year after some steady decline since July highs due to some steady profit booking.

After forming a long body candle at cloud support, the stock is indicating potential to move higher. The revival from the cloud region seen in the last week augurs well for the prices. The volume led rise is leading to a strong recovery. Further the prices are seen reviving holding on to the ascending trendline support that could now produce a rebound.

In conclusion, CreditAccess Grameen’s blend of solid fundamentals, strategic exposure to India’s evolving microfinance landscape and a proactive digital-innovation agenda positions it as a compelling long-term story for investors seeking both growth and social impact.

Why it is recommended: EIH Ltd combines robust financial performance, strategic exposure to high-growth hospitality themes and a leadership team committed to innovation.

In FY24, the company recorded revenue of ₹23,168 million (up 26.2% YoY), Ebitda of ₹9,109 million (an Ebitda margin of roughly 39%) and profit after tax of ₹5,209 million (a PAT margin of about 22.5%, up 62.7% YoY). With net worth at ₹35,686 million, its return on equity stands near 15%, underscoring efficient capital deployment even as it maintains moderate leverage typical of asset-intensive hotel operations.

EIH’s hotel portfolio—30 owned and managed properties and a luxury cruiser under the Oberoi and Trident brands—positions it at the heart of India’s post-pandemic hospitality rebound. It taps into rising demand for luxury leisure travel, business-travel resurgence and experiential stays, while ancillary services such as flight catering, airport lounges and bespoke event planning broaden its revenue base.

Under the stewardship of the Oberoi family and a professional executive team, EIH has propelled digital and sustainability-focused initiatives. From AI-driven revenue-management systems and contactless guest experiences to green-building certifications and waste-reduction programmes, the group continually refines its service model for tomorrow’s traveller.

This counter joins the list of some steady recovery seen in select hotel stocks. Since the last several months the move has been a gradual consolidation in this counter. The strong rise seen in the last two weeks has managed to breach an important resistance around 155 and heading higher. In the last few days, the financial resilience has been acknowledged giving way too much more higher grounds in the coming days. With the trends now showing possibility of more upward traction one can consider to initiate a long opportunity in the coming weeks. As the bullish bias is steadily stepping in one should look at trading as well as investing into this counter.

Looking ahead, EIH’s blend of strong fundamentals, premium-brand resonance in a recovering travel market and forward-looking operational innovations make it a compelling long-term play on India’s growing appetite for luxury and experiential hospitality.

Raja Venkatraman is co-founder, NeoTrader. His Sebi-registered research analyst registration no. is INH000016223.

Investments in securities are subject to market risks. Read all the related documents carefully before investing. Registration granted by Sebi and certification from NISM in no way guarantees performance of the intermediary or provide any assurance of returns to investors.

Disclaimer: The views and recommendations given in this article are those of individual analysts. These do not represent the views of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.

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