IRCTC share price rebounds after inching closer to its 52-week low; should investors buy, sell or hold?

IRCTC share price: Shares of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) rose by almost 1% in morning trade on the BSE on Tuesday, December 23, in an otherwise weak market, amid Indian Railways' decision to increase passenger train fares across all classes from 26 December. IRCTC share price opened at ₹686.55 against its previous close of ₹681.55 and inched up to the level of ₹686.85. The railway stock, however, pared most of its gains and traded 0.20% higher at ₹682.80 at 11 am, after dropping to the level of ₹681.10. Equity benchmark Sensex was 17 points down at 85,550 at that time.

IRCTC shares have seen traction since last Friday, as Indian Railways has decided to increase passenger train fares from 26 December. After July, this is the second time the Indian Railways has increased train fares this year.

IRCTC share price trend

IRCTC shares hit their 52-week low of ₹655.70 on March 3, and on Tuesday, December 23, they dropped to an intraday low of ₹681.10, just about 4% above their one-year low level. The stock has been in the green for the last three consecutive sessions, but on a monthly scale, it is still down by over half a per cent for December after a 4.5% fall in November. Year-to-date, the stock is down almost 14% compared to a 9% rise in the Sensex.

IRCTC shares hit their 52-week high of ₹838.35 on February 1 this year.

IRCTC shares: Should investors buy, sell, or hold?

Fundamental experts are largely positive about the stock due to its monopoly advantage in railway ticketing.

"With monopoly advantages, strong cash generation, and platform-led optionality, IRCTC remains well-positioned for steady long-term compounding, despite intermittent policy-led volatility," said Seema Srivastava, Senior Research Analyst at SMC Global Securities.

"With penetration already high, management is shifting focus toward higher-margin non-convenience fees and ancillaries, which adds durability to earnings. Catering and Rail Neer provide steady cash flows, while tourism has turned into a meaningful growth and profitability lever, supported by Bharat Gaurav trains and strong demand for Maharajas’ Express," said Srivastava.

IRCTC remains a direct beneficiary of sustained railway capital expenditure and passenger-centric reforms.

Srivastava said the expectations of higher railway allocations in Budget 2026–27 support long-term volume growth, premium train launches, station redevelopment, and tourism services.

Moreover, railway fare rationalisation is structurally positive, as modest fare hikes can lift absolute monetisation without materially hurting demand, Srivastava said.

Technical experts are positive about the stock as they spot a bullish technical setup in the stock.

Jigar S. Patel, Senior Manager of Equity Technical Research at Anand Rathi Share and Stock Brokers, pointed out that IRCTC has delivered a bullish technical breakout by decisively moving above the consolidation triangle pattern, as seen on the daily chart.

This breakout suggests a shift from range-bound activity to renewed upward momentum.

Supporting this price action, the RSI has also confirmed a breakout above its resistance zone, indicating strengthening bullish momentum and improving buying interest, Patel observed.

He said such alignment between price structure and momentum typically enhances the reliability of the breakout.

"Based on this setup, a staggered buying approach is advised in the ₹685–675 zone to manage risk effectively during minor pullbacks. The stock is expected to move towards an upside target of ₹715 in the near term. A strict stop loss should be placed at ₹660 on a daily closing basis to protect against any false breakout or sudden trend reversal," said Patel.

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