New Delhi, Feb. 16 -- Indian Inc delivered a better-than-expected performance during the December-ended quarter, with the aggregate profit of Nifty 50 companies growing 7%. However, this marked the seventh successive quarter of single-digit PAT growth, the longest such stretch since the pandemic (June 2020), according to a report by domestic brokerage firm Motilal Oswal.

Companies such as State Bank of India, Tata Steel, HDFC Bank, TCS, and Bharti Airtel contributed 78% of the incremental YoY accretion in earnings. Meanwhile, five others, including Tata Motors PV, Cipla, ICICI Bank, and InterGlobe Aviation, dragged overall Nifty earnings lower.

Among the Nifty 50 companies, 10 reported lower-than-expected profits, 14 posted earnings bea...