Issuer Profile
Profile
Mughal Iron & Steel Industries Limited (“MISIL” or “the Company”) was incorporated in Pakistan as a public limited company on February 16, 2010, and was listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange in March 2015 under the Engineering sector. The Company operates through ferrous and non-ferrous segments, with the ferrous segment serving as the core business, contributing the majority of revenues. Its diversified product portfolio includes billets, girders, T-Iron, rebars, and other steel products, catering to housing, industrial, and infrastructure sectors. The non-ferrous segment, primarily comprising copper and aluminum ingots, is smaller in scale and has historically supported profitability through exports—particularly to China—thereby diversifying revenue streams beyond the domestic market.
Ownership
The Sponsor family maintains a controlling stake of approximately 75.3% in the Company, with the remaining shareholding distributed among financial institutions and the general public. As of June 30, 2025, shareholding was concentrated with Directors/CEO & family (43.20%), Associated Companies/related parties (32.16%), Banks/DFIs/NBFIs (5.16%), and the General Public (7.91%). On June 17, 2025, the Company issued 33,062,447 Ordinary Class-C shares through a rights issue, further expanding its share capital.
Governance
The newly elected Board, appointed in October 2025 for a term of three years, comprises seven members. Five directors, including the Chairman, Mr. Mirza Javed Iqbal, MR Jamshed Iqbal and the CEO, represent the sponsoring family, while the remaining two serve as independent directors. The Board collectively possesses the requisite skills, experience, and industry knowledge necessary to ensure effective oversight and strategic direction. Mr. Javed Iqbal brings nearly four decades of extensive experience in the local steel industry. The presence of independent directors, Mr. Shoaib Ahmed Khan and Mr. Muhammad Alam Bhatti, further strengthens the Company’s governance framework by enhancing objectivity and balanced decision-making. The Company has constituted three Board committees: (i) Audit Committee, (ii) HR & Remuneration Committee, and (iii) Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Committee. Each committee includes an independent director in compliance with the SECP Code of Corporate Governance. Overall Board attendance during the year has remained satisfactory. The inclusion of independent directors reinforces governance standards by ensuring impartial oversight and safeguarding the interests of all stakeholders. Moreover, the presence of a female director contributes to Board diversity and aligns with best corporate governance practices. The Company’s external auditors, M/s. Fazal Mahmood & Co. and M/s. Muniff Ziauddin & Co., have expressed an unqualified opinion on the financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2025. The same firms have been reappointed as external auditors for FY26.
Management
The Company maintains a streamlined organizational structure characterized by clearly defined roles, functional segregation, and appropriate delegation of authority. The organogram is structured primarily around the CFO and COO functions, with respective departments reporting accordingly, while the Executive Directors and the CEO report directly to the Board. This structure facilitates efficient decision-making and supports operational effectiveness. Mr. Khurram Javed, CEO, possesses over a decade of professional experience and holds an MBA from Coventry University. He has played a pivotal role in strengthening the Company’s human resource base by inducting qualified professionals across diverse functional areas. In addition to his role in the Company, he also serves as CEO of other group entities, including Mughal Energy Limited. He is supported by a competent and experienced management team. The senior management team includes Mr. Shakeel Ahmad, Chief Operating Officer, who brings extensive experience in strategic market positioning, sales expansion, and brand development. The Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, is a Fellow Member of ICAP with strong expertise in finance, taxation, and strategic planning.
Business Risk
During FY25, Pakistan’s long steel (rebar) sector demonstrated resilience despite a medium-to-high business risk profile, driven by cyclicality, reliance on imported scrap, and elevated energy costs. Gradual stabilization in macroeconomic factors, including moderating inflation and relative exchange rate stability, supported a recovery in construction activity, providing renewed demand momentum for steel. Given the sector’s direct linkage with construction, this recovery is expected to drive higher volumetric demand, improved capacity utilization, and a more favorable operating environment in the near term. While the positive trend has continued into FY26, overall recovery remains gradual compared with other construction-related industries, as elevated power tariffs and ongoing regulatory adjustments continue to weigh on margins. The copper segment also faced headwinds from global trade disruptions, including renewed U.S.–China tariff tensions, and domestic regulatory changes affecting scrap availability. Adjustments in the Export Facilitation Scheme (EFS) also influenced copper export flows. In line with the anticipated industry dynamics, Mughal’s demand outlook for FY26 and beyond remains positive. During 9MFY26, overall sales remained comparatively softer, largely on account of a subdued demand environment during the period. Despite this, margins improved on the back of better cost management and stronger gross profit retention. This improvement, coupled with a notable decline in finance cost amid easing benchmark rates, supported a marked increase in overall net profitability for the period. Going forward, considering the volatility in non-ferrous prices and related operational uncertainties, management’s strategic focus and future projections are increasingly centered on the ferrous segment. Gross margins in the ferrous business are projected to sustain and potentially improve, particularly with the successful completion of the coal-fired power plant under Mughal Energy. The plant is expected to provide electricity at more competitive rates, thereby reducing energy costs and supporting margin.
Financial Risk
During 9MFY26, Mughal's net working capital cycle remained stable at 108 days, broadly consistent with FY25 (110 days). Inventory days improved further to 51 days (FY25: 72 days; FY24: 86 days), reflecting the sale of copper inventory in line with the strategic scaling back of non-ferrous operations. Receivable days increased to 76 (FY25: 53; FY24: 40), primarily driven by ferrous sales and increased quarter-end dispatches, while payable days rose modestly to 20 (FY25: 16; FY24: 8). Overall working capital movements were influenced by expanded ferrous activity and the strategic reduction in export-oriented non-ferrous operations. The Company meets its working capital requirements through a mix of internal cash generation, Sukuk placements, and short-term bank borrowings. As of end-March 2026, short-term borrowings stood at PKR 21.6bln (FY25: PKR 22.9bln; FY24: PKR 25.0bln). Free cash flows from operations (FCFOs) amounted to PKR 6.5bln in 9MFY26, compared to PKR 5.7bln in FY25. Leverage remained moderate at 51.5%. To establish a permanent working capital line and avoid reliance on the rollover of short-term instruments, the Company has issued a Sukuk amounting to PKR 2,000 million, subscribed by Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs). This instrument will replace existing short-term borrowings, providing longer-term structural stability to the working capital cycle. Additionally, existing facilities are expected to be optimized to create sufficient cushion, ensuring that the issuance does not materially increase overall borrowings. Management intends to maintain leverage at approximately 55% during the Sukuk's tenure and not exceed this level. With respect to the issued instrument, PACRA has evaluated the underlying financial projections supporting the issuance and expects volumetric growth, gross margins, and the associated leveraging trajectory to remain broadly aligned with stated assumptions, without material deviation. The projected cash flow profile, together with the structured DPA and FSRA mechanisms established for the instrument's servicing and repayment, enhances visibility over timely debt settlement. Overall, the anticipated profitability and embedded structural safeguards support stable cash flow generation over the tenor of the Sukuk and underpin a stronger credit profile for the instrument relative to the entity's standalone rating.
Instrument Rating Considerations
About the Instrument
The Company issued a Rated, Secured, Privately Placed, OTC-listed, Medium-Term Sukuk of PKR 2,000 million (green shoe option
of PKR 500mln was not exercised) to Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) on August 05, 2026. The facility will have a tenor of three years and will be utilized to finance or refinance the Company’s permanent working capital requirements. It will carry a profit rate of 3MK + 190 bps, with principal repayable in 11 equal quarterly installments commencing six months from the first drawdown.
Relative Seniority/Subordination of Instrument
Security for the instrument has been provided through a joint pari passu (JPP) charge on the Company’s present and future fixed assets, excluding land and buildings, with a margin of 25%. The instrument is also supported by personal guarantees from the Company’s sponsor directors. The initial disbursement was made on a ranking charge, which has been upgraded to pari passu status in accordance with the agreed terms.
Credit Enhancement
In addition to the underlying security, timely payment under the instrument is further safeguarded through an additional layer of enhancement via: Facility Service Reserve Account (FSRA): 10% of the issue will be maintained in an interest-bearing FSRA throughout the tenor of the sukuk, providing a dedicated liquidity buffer. Debt Payment Account (DPA): One-third (1/3rd) of the upcoming profit & or principal payment (the “Next Instalment”) will be deposited into the DPA not later than the 25th date of each month, ensuring that the balance available on each Payment Date is equivalent to the amount of instalment due.
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