Indian Markets created history by surpassing one more milestone in the week gone by! It began with Nifty topping 16,000 on August 3, sprinting to 17,000 on August 31, and has now moved past 18,000 ahead of Dusshera – with the addition of the last 1000 points being the second-fastest since its establishment.

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When we look back, the sizeable drop seen in March 2020 looks little in comparison to the massive rally that our markets have delivered. This upward trend isn’t being driven solely by a certain category of investors.

While foreign institutional investors (FIIs) demonstrated their confidence in Indian capital markets in September by investing the highest amount of funds so far in 2021, the retail investors weren’t far behind.

September also saw a record high mutual fund SIP inflow which surpassed the Rs. 10,000 cr mark for the first time.

The rapid surge in benchmark indices was fuelled by this unionized confidence in the Indian markets along with the timely softening of the CPI inflation in accordance with the central bank’s predictions.

It also received a push due to an improvement in certain high-frequency economic indicators such as electricity consumption, railway freight, e-way bills, to mention a few.

While some may refer to this upswing as a liquidity-driven rally, others may call it a greed cycle, the fact remains that investors have profited handsomely across stocks, regardless of their fundamentals.

At first, it may appear that all cards have fallen in place to fortify this optimism and keep the Indian equities on a positive track, investors certainly need to be watchful of the global markets.

While the Nifty50 gained over 5 per cent in the last month itself, the S&P 500 has slid over 2 per cent. The divergence of the Indian equity market is not only confined to the S&P 500, but also other global bourses such as the Hang Seng, KOSPI, Nikkei 225 which have dropped between over 3% to 7% during the past month.

This conflicting behaviour may not last long and a correction could be underway. If this happens, the weaker stocks can experience relatively steeper drawdowns.

Thus, investors should ride this bull rally with fundamentally resilient stocks and avoid betting on shares rising on fluff.

Here is a list of the top 5 stocks from SAMCO Securities to buy ahead of Diwali for a period of 1 year:

Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL): YTD 10%| 1 Year 22%

Hindustan Unilever is India’s largest fast-moving consumer goods company, as a result of its vast distribution reach and a tremendous portfolio of large brands.

 It is the market leader in 80 per cent of its portfolio and in FY21 gained market share in 84 per cent of its entire portfolio. It continues to display agility over the last decade and has gained superiority amongst its peers.

With increased focus on premium products, host of initiatives in the e-commerce market, recovery in the discretionary category, premiumization, synergies from GSK Consumer Healthcare and leverage in its digitalization capabilities, HUL is ensuring that it remains competitive in the current dynamic environment.

The management of the company is confident of consistent double-digit EPS growth over the coming decade. Given its leadership position, HUL is slated to capitalize on long-term growth in the FMCG industry in India and we maintain a positive outlook on it.

Dr. Lal Path Labs Ltd: YTD: 59%| 1 Year: 79%

Dr. Lal Path Labs Limited is engaged in providing diagnostic and related healthcare tests and services nationally and internationally. The company has been compounding its sales by almost 21 per cent over the last decade and has also maintained a healthy ROE of 26 per cent over the same period.

Along with the pandemic-induced increased test volumes, the companies’ persistent focus of service parameters and timely turnarounds have aided in achieving resilient growth.

In order to increase its geographical penetration, the company is also expanding its network of laboratories and collection centers in West & South India.

In addition, the company is consistently working to strengthen its tech-enabled processes in order to be future growth-ready. With the diagnostic industry poised for growth, we believe premium and organised players like Dr. Lal Path Labs are set to gain market share and thus is an attractive investment bet.

Computer Age Management Services Ltd (CAMS): YTD: 69%

Computer Age Management Services is the market leader with a share of over 70 per cent of the total Mutual Fund AUM in a duopoly RTA market. It has outperformed the MF Industry’s AUM growth by 3 per cent from Mar-14 to Mar-20 and maintained its leadership position since 2005-06.

The company also has a strong and consistent financial track record of compounding sales and profit growth by 8 per cent and 13 per cent respectively over the last 10 years.

It also rewards its handsomely rewards its stakeholders through a robust average ROE/ROCE of around 36%/52% respectively in the last 5 years.

Additionally, India has one of the lowest MF penetrations globally with an AUM-GDP ratio of 12 per cent vs world average of 65 per cent, this itself offers long-term growth potential for the overall MF and in-turn for the RTA industry.

CAMS has been an attractive opportunity for investors since its listing and continues to be one.

Affle (India) Ltd: YTD: 55%| 1 year: 116%

Affle India is a leading adtech company with a proprietary consumer intelligence platform helping its customers to drive user acquisitions and improve user engagements through relevant mobile advertising.

Affle India has achieved over 40 per cent revenue CAGR over FY19 to FY21 with a focus on top industry verticals in the internet segment and on faster-growing emerging markets.

With a leadership position in both in-app and on-device ecosystems, end-to-end offerings in the CPCU business model, first-mover advantage in the connected device segment, and an improving share of mobile ad spends, Affle is well-positioned to capitalise on opportunities created in the underpenetrated industry.

The management of the company expects the operating margin to be sustainable in the forthcoming quarters and aims to deliver at least 25-30 per cent revenue CAGR over the medium term.

We remain positive on Affle India given its strong balance sheet, positive cash flow conversions, increased platform usage and a long growth runway.

Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd (HDFC Ltd): YTD: 9%| 1 year 41%

HDFC Ltd is India’s largest mortgage lender in the current environment and remains one of the best real estate proxy play in India.

With its nearly stable asset quality performance during a period when other rivals in the housing and asset financing sectors reported a large spike in stressed loans, the company has surprised the market.

It has secured its position with access to low-cost funds, a solid ALM position, and comfortable leverage. Sufficient balance-sheet provisioning also provides a cushion from any asset quality surprises.

HDFC Ltd is well-positioned to acquire a profitable market share as demand for home loans continues to remain buoyant. Disbursements have also picked up the pace with nationwide unlocking.

In addition to this, the industry is in a sweet spot with interest rates at historical lows, robust housing demand and improving collection efficiency. The stock thus remains one of the best picks in this space.

(Disclaimer: The views/suggestions/advice expressed here in this article are solely by investment experts. Zee Business suggests its readers to consult with their investment advisers before making any financial decision.)