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ITC shares witnessed some buying interest during the Opening Bell on Thursday. ITC share price today opened higher at ₹287.40 per share on the NSE and touched an intraday high of ₹290.25 per share within a few minutes of the market opening, logging an intraday rise of more than one per cent. However, the ITC shares failed to sustain at higher levels and retraced after the profit-booking trigger. By 10:35 AM, ITC share price was oscillating around ₹286.75 per share on the NSE.
According to stock market experts, ITC has raised the price of Gold Flake Regular by ₹10 per pack to ₹135. This is the second price rise of the regular cigarette brand after raising Gold Flake Regular per pack price by ₹30 to ₹125 in February 2026. Whether it is wise to buy ITC shares following its recent cigarette price hikes, experts said that it depends on how you weigh near-term margin pressure against the company's long-term pricing power.
Whether one should buy ITC shares after the cigarette price hike, Avinash Gorakshkar, Founder of Avinash Mentor Research, said, “ITC cigarette holds more than three-fourths of the market share, which makes it easier for an investor to understand the benefit of this price rise. This price rise would enable the company to maintain its profitability and negate the tax burden. So, those who have this stock in portfolio are advised to hold the scrip, whereas fresh investors can also buy ITC shares. However, it is a portfolio stock and one should buy this for the long-term only.”
Gorakshkar said that the non-cigarette business of the company is also expanding at a faster rate. The Non-cigarette businesses, especially FMCG and its hospitality continue to post steady revenue and EBIT expansion, reducing long-term reliance strictly on tobacco.
Expecting upside in ITC shares, Sumeet Bagagia, Executive Director at Choice Broking, said, “ITC shares are looking positive on the technical chart pattern. One can buy ITC shares at current market price for an upside target of ₹320, maintaining the stop-loss at ₹270. Existing shareholders can also hold the scrip, maintaining a stop-loss at ₹270 for the upside target of ₹320 per share.”
ITC has raised the retail price of its Gold Flake Regular pack by ₹10 to ₹135. This marks the second price increase for the Gold Flake Regular brand in 2026, following a ₹30 per pack hike in February that took the pack's price from ₹95 to ₹125.
Gold Flake REgular is a key product in ITC's cigarette business, accounting for around 30-35% of the company's total cigarette volumes. Its contribution to profits is understood to be even higher, making pricing decisions for the segment particularly important to ITC's overall cigarette business.
Disclaimer: This story is for educational and informational purposes only. The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, not Mint. We advise investors to check with certified financial experts before making any investment decisions.
Asit Manohar has nearly two decades of experience in the mainstream media. In this period, he has served esteemed media organisations like NDTV Profit, The Economic Times, and Zee Business. He has been working at LiveMint Digital since April 2021. During these two decades of journey in mainstream media, Asit has mainly covered external affairs, markets and personal finance. However, his earliest beats include railways, SME, MSME, and politics (Congress beat). Some of his features on political, economic, and foreign policy are documented in the parliamentary records. <br><br> While pursuing his MA (Mass Communication, Session 2004-06), Asit began his media career as a stringer at All India Radio in Varanasi. At AIR Varanasi, Asit worked with the Gyanvani, Yuvvani and Vividh Bharti teams. After working for nearly one year at AIR Varanasi, he shifted to print journalism and started working as a stringer for the HT Media Ltd, Varanasi. At HT Media Ltd in Varanasi, he covered the BHU beat. <br><br> Asit has also worked with some brokerage houses. He has worked with Religare Broking and India Infoline, where he assisted the research team in developing and executing trade strategies for intraday cash, F&O, and commodities. <br><br> Asit is a Gold Medalist in MA (Mass Communication) from BHU, Varanasi. He did his BSc. (Hons) in Mathematics from Magadh University, Bodh Gaya. Asit was a National Talent Scholarship holder during his senior secondary studies (1988-91).
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