new delhi may 3 dewan housing finance ltd dhfl today reported 31 per cent rise in net profit to rs 248 crore for the fourth quarter ended march on higher loan disbursements the mortgage lenders net profit was rs 190 crore in the januarymarch period of the previous financial year 201516 however the profit during the fourth quarter of 201617 soared to rs 2218 crore taking into account one time exceptional gain of rs 196943 crore on stake sale in its insurance arm dhfl pramerica life insurance to its wholly owned subsidiary dhfl investments ltd dhfls total income from operations has increased to rs 2378 crore in the quarter under review as against rs 1960 crore in the yearago period the company said in a statement loan book outstanding grew 17 per cent to rs 72096 crore as against rs 61775 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year it said the company has registered a robust growth in business in the fourth quarter as we continue to take several proactive steps towards the fulfilment of our mission built over three decades to enable every indian to own a home of his own dhfl chairman kapil wadhawan said the company recommended a final dividend of rs 3 per equity share for 201617 for the entire 201617 the company clocked 27 per cent rise in net profit to rs 927 crore compared to rs 729 crore in the previous fiscal it reported a total income of rs 8857 crore for last fiscal compared to rs 7300 crore a year ago net interest margin stood at 299 per cent while asset under management aum grew 20 per cent to rs 83560 crore for the year ended march 31 2017 gross npa stood at 094 per cent at the end of march 31 2017 sharing outlook for the housing sector he said the current low mortgage penetration offers a huge opportunity for the sector to grow supported by the countrys sustainable development cycle and the socioeconomic transformation through longterm programs like smart cities make in india that have already been set in motion we foresee specialisation as key driver in financial services with rbi paving the way for entry of specialised banking we also anticipate mortgage banks to be recognised as one of the critical contributors to the overall finance ecosystem he said svk dp sa