Recommended stocks to buy today, 18 June, by India's leading market experts

Both the Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex saw early highs but ultimately closed lower, with a bearish candle forming on the Nifty daily chart, indicating a lack of strong buying. With most sectors closing in the red and mid-cap and small-cap segments facing challenges, investors are seeking strategies to generate returns amidst these uncertain market conditions.

Here are three stocks to trade, as recommended by NeoTrader's Raja Venkatraman:

Inventurus Knowledge Solutions Ltd (Cmp ₹1,855.70)

Why it’s recommended: A strong set of Q4 numbers reported ensured that the trends are able to recover. The company also secured strong platform-led client wins in the recent quarter, including full-platform commitments. The long body bullish candle seen on Monday augurs well for the prices. This has led to an improvement in the sentiment. With prices holding firm we can consider going long.

Key metrics: P/E: 95.10 | 52-week high: ₹2,190 | Volume: 1.66M.

Technical analysis: Support at ₹1,450, resistance at ₹2,150.

Risk factors: Market volatility, cyberattacks, and regulatory headwinds.

Buy at: CMP and dips to ₹1,780

Target price: ₹1,975-2,050 in 1 month

Stop loss: ₹1,760

Also Read: Can this small-cap auto ancillary firm’s premium pivot deliver big gains?

Somany Ceramics Ltd (Cmp 591.55)

Why it’s recommended: SOMANYCERA's move over the last few days shows that after some muted Q4 numbers, a considerable jump indicates that the trends after being under pressure are now recovering. However, with the nature of the prices seen in the last few days, we can comprehend that the newsflow has already been priced in. The volatile moves seen in the last 3 months are now seen giving up, indicating a possibility of some upward bounce as a rounding pattern is seen forming with volumes. Can look to go long.

Key metrics: P/E: 28.31 | 52-week high: ₹872.60 | Volume: 164.02K

Technical analysis: Support at ₹477, resistance at ₹685

Risk factors: Geopolitical uncertainties, market trends

Buy at: CMP and dips to ₹542

Target price: ₹640-655 in 1 month

Stop loss: ₹535

Also Read: Five undervalued power stocks worth adding to your watchlist

Steel Strips Wheels Ltd (Cmp 258.15)

Why it’s recommended: The counter has been steadily moving higher, forming higher highs and higher lows, holding the TS & KS Bands for the past few days. After a brief decline, the stock managed to gather support within the bands to produce a turnaround. After the recent test of the TS & KS Bands, a strong closing on Friday, we can look at some positive vibes to emerge.

Key metrics: P/E: 19.29 | 52-week high: ₹256.99 | Volume: 1.51M.

Technical analysis: Support at ₹225, resistance at ₹295.

Risk factors: Fluctuating demand from domestic tractor segment, which is experiencing pressure due to various factors.

Buy at: above ₹261 and dips to ₹248

Target price: ₹279-288 in 1 month

Stop loss: ₹243

Here are two stocks to trade today, as recommended by Trade Brains Portal

Bajaj Auto (Current price: ₹ 8,495)

• Why Bajaj Auto is recommended: Bajaj Auto Ltd. is one of the top producers of 2Ws and 3Ws for automobiles. Two of the company's five manufacturing facilities are located in Chakan, and the other three are located in Waluj, Akurdi, and Pantnagar. An annual total of 7.1 million units can be installed by the company.

It is well-established in the international market and offers a wide range of products. Well-known brands like Pulsar, KTM, Triumph, Chetak, Dominar, and Avenger are among them. In terms of volume, it ranks second in the domestic motorcycle market and is the biggest exporter of 2Ws from India. With a presence in more than 70 countries, it had a 46.3% market share in the export market and an 18.2% market share in motorcycle sales in India in FY24.

Due to high sales of both vehicles and replacement parts, the company's revenue surpassed ₹50,000 for the first time in FY25. The reported income from operations increased by 13.65% from ₹44,870 crore in FY24 to ₹50,995 crore in FY25. With a robust domestic performance in H1 and a comparatively weak H2 that was more than offset by the strong export comeback, volumes increased 7% year over year, demonstrating the adaptability of the company's business strategy to shifting market conditions. In the fourth quarter of FY25, the company sold 943,563 two-wheelers and 159,371 commercial vehicles. In May 2025, there were 332,370 2-wheeler sales and 52,251 commercial vehicle sales; hence, the total sales volume grew by 8% YoY in May.

In the upcoming years, the company anticipates the export business unit to increase by at least 20% annually. The company is expected to spend ₹6-7 billion on capital expenditures in FY25-FY26, mostly for maintenance activities, and has committed to delivering ₹1,000 crore of capital expenditures under the PLI plan over a 5-year horizon.

They were permitted to increase their export capacity to 50,000 units or more annually by Q4 FY26 for their Dominar brand, which has surpassed several well-known European brands in the personal segment. The business has approved a capital infusion of about ₹2,300 crore into Bajaj Auto Credit Limited, of which ₹955 crore has already been invested. By the end of the next year, it hopes to have invested ₹1,400 crore.

• Risk Factors: Players like BAL, Hero MotoCorp Ltd., Honda Motorcycles & Scooters India Pvt. Ltd., Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd., and TVS Motors Ltd. hold a significant amount of market share in the Indian 2W market. Additionally, to increase their market share, OEMs occasionally introduce new models. Macroeconomic challenges that the company faces include supply chain disruptions due to geopolitical issues, declining per capita income that lowers people's purchasing power, shifting demand and preferences across nations, inflation across regions, and the availability of input materials, all of which are inherent to the automotive industry.

Escorts Kubota (Current price: ₹ 3,152)

• Why Escorts Kubota is recommended: The company operates in three business segments: agricultural machinery products, construction equipment, and railway equipment. In 2018, Kubota and Escorts set up a 60:40 JV and established a high-end tractor manufacturing capacity in Haryana. The facility has a capacity of 50,000 units per annum. The company has five manufacturing facilities in Faridabad, Haryana, and one in Poland, with an annual capacity of 1.7 lakh tractors. Kubota is a Japanese conglomerate that is in the business of tractors, agricultural machinery, construction equipment, engines, vending machines, pipes, etc.

This partnership will help the company to overcome the high dependence on the cyclical domestic tractor market. Strong parentage helped the company to increase operational efficiency and capacity expansion, and 70% of exports come from the Kubota network. The company has a market share of 11.8% in the domestic tractor industry. As of March 2025, the agri machinery segment contributes 83% of the total revenue, whereas construction equipment contributes 17%.

As of FY25, revenue from operations stood at ₹10,243.9 crore, up by 4.5% as of FY25. EBITDA stood at ₹1,165.3 crore, up by 3% YoY, with a stable EBITDA margin of 11.4% as of FY25. The company saw a jump of 36.6% YoY in tractor volume in exports, compared to industry growth of 4%, as of Q4FY25. Tractor volumes stood at 1,15,554 units as of FY25, up by 1% YoY. The company sold its railway business to Sona BLW Precision Forgings Limited at a lump-sum cash consideration of ₹1,600 crore on 23 October 2024. The company is planning to invest ₹4,500-5,000 crores over the next 3-4 years for setting up a greenfield plant.

The greenfield plant will enable the company to integrate various manufacturing processes, leading to an increase in capacity across different verticals for tractor manufacturing, CE manufacturing, spare parts manufacturing, and a dedicated line for manufacturing engines for Kubota. Management expects the tractor industry to grow continuously due to various reasons, like favorable macroeconomic conditions such as a good rabi harvest, better crop prices, and more than average rainfall in 2025, and a sufficient water level in the reservoir.

• Risk Factors: The company faces cyclical risk as demand for tractors depends on monsoons, crop prices, and various other socio-economic factors. The company is also exposed to volatility in raw material prices, such as steel. The company also has a limited presence in the Western markets.

Two stock recommendations by MarketSmith India

Buy: Coromandel International Ltd (Current price: ₹2,307.7)

• Why Coromandel International is recommended: Consistent revenue growth, diverse, and expanding product portfolio
• Key metrics: P/E:  36.51 | 52-week high: ₹2,514.00 | Volume: ₹218.61 crore
• Technical analysis: Bounce back from its 50-DMA after a few days of consolidation
• Risk factors: Monsoon dependency and climatic variability, regulatory risks and subsidy delays, and raw material price volatility
• Buy at: ₹1,527
• Target price: ₹2,550 in three months
• Stop-loss: ₹2,220

Buy: Vinati Organics Ltd (Current price: ₹1,907)

• Why Vinati Organics is recommended: Strong growth in key segments, strategic capacity expansion, and strong growth in key segments
• Key metrics: P/E: 48.04 | 52-week high: ₹2,330 | Volume: ₹19.64 crore
• Technical analysis: Possible trendline breakout
• Risk factors: Client concentration, raw material price volatility, and antioxidant segment
• Buy at: ₹1,707
• Target price: ₹2,090 in three months
• Stop-loss: ₹1,775

Raja Venkatraman is co-founder, NeoTrader. His Sebi-registered research analyst registration no. is INH000016223.

MarketSmith India is a stock research platform and advisory service focused on the Indian stock market. Trade name: William O’Neil India Pvt. Ltd; Sebi Registration No.: INH000015543

Trade Brains Portal is a stock analysis platform. Its trade name is Dailyraven Technologies Pvt. Ltd, and its Sebi-registered research analyst registration number is INH000015729.

Investments in securities are subject to market risks. Read all the related documents carefully before investing.

Registration granted by Sebi and certification from NISM in no way guarantee performance of the intermediary or provide any assurance of returns to investors.

Disclaimer: The views and recommendations given in this article are those of individual analysts. These do not represent the views of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.