Trent Emerges Top Loser as Q3 Update Triggers Sharp Market Reaction
Shares of Trent, the parent of popular fashion brands Zudio and Westside, plunged more than 9 percent on January 6, snapping a four-session winning streak and emerging as the top loser on benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty 50. The stock slipped to an intraday low of ₹4,017.2, reflecting heightened investor disappointment following the company’s provisional Q3 FY26 business update.
Analysts said the sharp decline signals a broader market re-rating rather than a knee-jerk reaction, as concerns mount over moderating growth momentum and elevated valuations in the retail space.
Q3 FY26 Update Shows Steady Revenue Growth but No Acceleration
Trent released its business update for the October–December quarter of FY26 after market hours on January 5. The company reported standalone revenue from the sale of products at ₹5,220 crore, marking a 17 percent year-on-year increase compared with ₹4,466 crore in the same quarter last year.
Notably, the revenue growth rate remained unchanged from Q2 FY26, when revenue had also grown 17 percent year-on-year to ₹4,724 crore. For the nine months ended December 31, Trent’s revenue rose 18 percent year-on-year to ₹14,604 crore, up from ₹12,368 crore in the corresponding period last year.
At the end of Q3 FY26, Trent operated:
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278 Westside stores
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854 Zudio stores, including 4 in the UAE
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32 stores across other lifestyle formats
During the quarter, the company added 17 Westside stores and 48 Zudio stores, underscoring its continued focus on aggressive expansion.
Also Read : ITC’s 2026 Decline Deepens with 2% Fall; Analysts Debate if The Dividend Stock Has Found A Floor
Analysts Say Growth Moderation Is Driving Valuation Reset
Market experts believe the stock’s sharp fall reflects a deeper shift in investor expectations. Harshal Dasani, Business Head at INVasset PMS, said Trent’s decline highlights a broader re-rating cycle.
“The key driver is a visible moderation in growth momentum flagged in recent business updates. Trent was long priced as a high-consistency compounder. As demand indicators soften and growth becomes less linear, the market is recalibrating forward earnings assumptions,” Dasani said.
He added that valuation sensitivity has amplified the downside. “At peak levels, the stock reflected near-flawless execution. Any signal of demand normalization forces a disproportionate correction, especially in stocks with crowded institutional positioning,” he noted.
Market Shifts From Growth Extrapolation to Growth Verification
Dasani further explained that current price action suggests the market is transitioning from growth extrapolation to growth verification. Until there is clearer visibility on demand recovery and earnings trajectory, volatility is likely to remain elevated.
Siddharth Maurya, Founder and Managing Director of Vibhavangal Anukulakara, echoed similar views, saying the sharp fall with high volumes indicates investors are factoring in a slowdown in consumer demand.
“The stock continues to show inherent strength through store expansion and strong analyst interest. However, near-term performance will be driven by how the market re-rates earnings expectations,” he said.
Technical Charts Point to Continued Weakness, Say Analysts
From a technical standpoint, analysts remain cautious. Drumil Vithlani, Technical Research Analyst at Bonanza, said Trent remains in a broader downtrend.
“The stock is trading well below its 50, 100, and 200-day EMAs, confirming sustained weakness. The recent bounce was corrective and got sold into near the ₹4,400–4,500 zone,” he said.
Vithlani added that the RSI slipping toward the 40 region indicates fading momentum. “Unless the stock reclaims ₹4,500 with volume, the bias stays bearish to range-bound, with downside risk toward ₹3,800–3,700. Investors looking to go long should keep ₹3,700 as a strict stop loss,” he advised.
Brokerages Split on Outlook Amid Competitive Pressures
Brokerage views on Trent remain mixed. Motilal Oswal Financial Services noted that Trent’s Q3 revenue growth came in below its 20 percent estimate but acknowledged that growth has stabilised at 17 percent after multiple quarters of deceleration.
Motilal highlighted that revenue growth is being driven primarily by a 28 percent year-on-year increase in store count, while revenue per store declined about 11 percent year-on-year, pointing to cannibalisation at the store level. It retained its ‘Buy’ rating but warned that earnings downgrades could persist in the near term.
Antique Stock Broking cut its target price to ₹5,700 from ₹6,650, citing moderating growth and unfavourable demand trends, while maintaining a ‘Buy’ rating on long-term optimism.
Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley stayed ‘Overweight’, stating that growth remains broadly in line with expectations. In contrast, Citi maintained a ‘Sell’ rating, flagging weak revenue per square foot and rising competition.
Valuation Compression Reflects Changing Market Narrative
HDFC Securities upgraded Trent to ‘Add’ with a target price of ₹4,700, citing a sharp valuation reset. “A combination of healthy future operational inputs and a nearly 50 percent valuation cut underpins our upgrade,” it said.
Despite the correction, Trent’s valuation remains rich, with the stock trading at a P/E of over 103. The shares are down around 27 percent in the past six months and over 42 percent in the past one year, after delivering a staggering 480 percent rally over the last five years.
What Investors Should Watch Going Forward
Analysts believe Trent is at a critical juncture. Key monitorables include:
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Recovery in revenue per store and same-store sales growth
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Competitive intensity in value fashion
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Ability to sustain margins amid expansion
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Technical behaviour around the ₹3,700 support zone
As one analyst summed up, “Trent remains a strong retail franchise, but the market is no longer willing to pay peak multiples without clear evidence of accelerating growth.”
For now, volatility is likely to persist as investors reassess growth expectations and valuation comfort in one of India’s most closely tracked retail stocks.
