Vodafone Idea-Indus Tower stake sale: Telecom major sells shares worth $2 billion, Airtel acquires 1%

Block Deal Alert: Vodafone Group plans to sell an almost 18 per cent stake in India’s Indus Towers for up to USD 2 billion. This is a significant increase from the approximately 10 per cent stake they initially intended to sell.

The telecom company, which holds a 21.5 per cent stake in Indus Towers, is planning to use the proceeds from the sale to repay debt, according to a report by Reuters last week.

In 2022, Vodafone announced its intention to sell its entire stake in the Indian firm.

In the latest stake sale planned for June 19, the company aims to sell shares within the price range of 310 to 341 rupees.

On Wednesday, over 615 million shares of Indus Towers were traded across numerous block deals, with a total of approximately 713 million shares exchanged, according to data from the National Stock Exchange of India.

Indus Tower’s share price was trading in red, down 4.48 per cent at ₹328.50, on June 19, at 11:00 am, on BSE. Meanwhile, Vodafone Idea share price was down 2.43 per cent at ₹16.45 on June 19, at 11:01 am, on BSE.

This followed by Bharti Airtel announcing that its Special Committee approved buying up to 27 million shares in Indus Towers on June 19, 2024. As a result, the company acquired around 26.95 million (1 per cent) shares on June 19. The committee met from 8:30 to 9:45 am, as per an exchange filing. The Company currently hold 47.95 per cent shareholding in Indus Towers.

This is a developing story; keep checking for further updates.