Mumbai: A lower base in the previous year’s quarter and likely good show by select companies in sectors such as automobiles, capital goods, FMCG, IT, and metals should help the Nifty 50 companies report a double-digit growth in aggregate sales and profits for the June 2018 quarter. According to the ET Intelligence Group’s estimates, net sales is likely to increase by 12.1 per cent and net profit by 13.5 per cent year-on-year. Sales and profit will grow in double- digits for the fifth and third consecutive quarters, respectively.The corporate performance in the June 2018 quarter will get a leg up given relatively muted performance in the year-ago quarter. This was because of lower inventories of companies in the June 2017 quarter ahead of the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on July 1, 2017. Subsequently, net profit of the sample grew marginally by 1.8 per cent during the year-ago quarter on sales growth of 10 per cent while the operating profit fell by 1.3 per cent.Operating profit for the June 2018 quarter is likely to grow by 15 per cent, the highest growth in at least nine quarters. In addition, the operating margin is expected to improve by 180 basis points year-onyear to 20.2 per cent.For investors, the quarter will be crucial in deciding whether an overall turnaround will be in sight amid headwinds of strong crude oil prices, a weakening rupee, rising inflation and hardening interest rates.Auto companies are expected to report good numbers following sustained volume growth across the vehicle segments thanks to improving consumer sentiments, replacement demand and price increase. Auto volumes grew 13-60 per cent during the June quarter. A better operating leverage is likely to support operating margins of Bajaj Auto Maruti Suzuki and domestic operations of Tata Motors Private sector banks with relatively higher focus on corporate lending, including Axis Bank and ICICI Bank , are expected to report lesser amount of new non-performing assets considering their higher slippages in the previous quarter. This combined with rising retail book may help them to post a resilient performance.The continued support from the government-funded projects is likely to support the earnings growth of capital goods companies. The trend in Larsen & Toubro’s order flow will be watched closely since the country’s largest infrastructure company has earlier guided for 12-15 per cent growth in order flow on a higher base. PowerGrid is expected to maintain the ratio of project commission-to-capital expenditure above one.Cement prices were largely stable during the June quarter, which means companies may not be able to clock meaningful growth in realisations. Volume growth will be between 5 per cent and 18 per cent for large companies. Companies are expected to record 4-21 per cent year-on-year revenue growth.For FMCG, numbers may not be strictly comparable due to destocking before the GST implementation in the previous June quarter. However, the positive trend shown by FMCG companies in the previous two quarters is likely to continue. Nifty companies HUL and Asian Paints are expected to deliver highteen sales growth, albeit on a low base, while ITC may report modest numbers as the year-on-year decline in cigarette volumes continues.Select top IT companies including TCS, Infosys , and HCL Tech are likely to report 2-3 per cent growth in the dollar denominated revenue keeping the currency rates constant to the previous quarter’s levels. The impact of unfavourable cross-currency rates between the euro, the pound, and the dollar may be partially offset by 4 per cent sequential drop in the average rupee rate against the dollar. The trend in digital revenue will be critical.Ferrous metal companies are likely to do better than non-ferrous counterparts unlike the previous few quarters, thanks to record high global steel spreads (excluding Europe). Non-ferrous companies will face the headwinds on the cost front, particularly coal, crude derivatives and alumina. Coal India is expected to do well with 15 per cent volume growth in the first three months of FY19.Pharma companies are likely to report strong double-digit growth for their Indian businesses, due to low base of the previous June quarter. The US business for pharma companies is likely to remain flattish to marginally positive due to lack of any meaningful launches. However, the Indian players will benefit from the rupee depreciation and see a double- digit operating profit growth in the US business.Telecom companies are expected to report pressure on average revenue per user for voice and data segments. This may limit the scope for higher topline growth despite rising data usage.