Is value premium sector-specific? Evidence from India

Purpose This paper is an attempt to explore the fact that whether the literature-promised value premium has any sector orientation. The paper tests the relationship between the value premium and Indian sectors: fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), financials, healthcare, information technology (IT), manufacturing and miscellaneous. Design/methodology/approach The paper analyses around 210-480 companies listed on BSE-500 for the period of the recent 18 years ranging from March 1999 to March 2017. The paper employed Welch's ANOVA to examine whether the price-to-book market ratio is significantly different across sectors. Two prominent asset pricing models - single factor market model and Fama-French three-factor model - were used to examine the existence of value premium within sectors for full period and two sub-periods. Findings The empirical results of the paper suggest that the difference in the P/B ratio both between sectors and within sectors is statistically significant. The results further suggest that the value premium exists within the sectors irrespective of their value-growth orientation. Research limitations/implications The paper is not free from certain limitations. Firstly, due to the non-availability of data in the public domain, the time period before 1999 could not be considered. Secondly, the study has used data pertaining to the Indian stock market only. To add to it, our study has concentrated on BSE-500 companies only; however, the future researchers can include both NSE and BSE companies. Practical implications The paper has important implications for portfolio managers and retail investors following a top-down approach of investing. The portfolio manager can strategically build up the portfolios to concentrate more on the companies belonging to sectors like healthcare, manufacturing and FMCG. Investors following the top-down approach should avoid the underperforming growth stocks belonging to the growth sectors and allocate their funds to value stocks in the growth sector. Originality/value The paper is first of its kind to study the relationship between the value premium and Indian sectors. The paper contributes to portfolio management and asset pricing literature for an emerging market.