Skip to main content

Idea acquires 41% stake in Spice

Aditya Birla Group firm Idea Cellular on Wednesday said it has acquired about 41 per cent stake in Spice Communications through open market and block trade transactions.

Idea Cellular has acquired 20 lakh equity shares, representing 0.29 per cent in Spice Communications at an average market price of Rs 74.81 each through open market transactions, the company said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Further, Idea Cellular through a block trade has acquired over 28.14 crore equity shares, representing 40.80 per cent, at a price of Rs 77.30 per piece, it added.

However, acquisition of these shares has not been completed and is held in separate escrow accounts. The acquirers of these shares would get the shares after fulfilling all its obligations under the SEBI Regulations, the filing added.

Earlier on June 25, Idea Cellular, the fifth-largest mobile operator in terms of subscribers, had said it would acquire 40.8 per cent stake in B K Modi-owned Spice group for Rs 2,716 crore.

The Aditya Birla group firm has also made an open offer to the shareholders of Spice Communications for acquiring additional 20 per cent stake in the telecom services provider for about Rs 1,066.63 crore.

The open offer would start on August 22, and would close on September 11. The Idea-Spice deal would catapult Idea Cellular's market share to 11.1 per cent and more importantly would get the crucial spectrum on 900 Mhz band.

Shares of Idea Cellular were trading at Rs 87.35, up 1.93 per cent, while Spice Communications was quoted up 0.48 per cent at Rs 73.90.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Jyoti Structures bags Rs 253 cr worth orders

Jyoti Structures on Tuesday said it has bagged two orders worth Rs 253 crore from Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Ltd and Eskom Enterprises (Pty) Ltd for construction of transmission lines. The company has bagged Rs 160-crore order from Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Ltd for construction of transmission lines and sub-stations. Besides, the company's joint venture company Jyoti Structures Africa (Pty) Ltd has bagged a contract for Eskom Enterprises (Pty) Ltd, the electricity utility of South Africa for construction of transmission line. The scope of the order from Uganda Electricity Transmission Company includes supply and erection of Bujagali Interconnection Project, the manufacturer of transmission line towers informed the Bombay Stock Exchange. The contract valued at around $39.64 million (Rs 160 crore) is to be executed in 24 months, the company said, adding the company would construct 220 kV and 132 kV transmission lines and substations.

Banking stocks take severe hit

(The Hindu Business Line 1st April 2008) Stocks in the banking sector took a severe hit on Monday, leading the market fall. The BSE Bankex was down a 5.89 per cent, sliding more than the Sensex which declined by over 4 per cent. In the bear run in the recent weeks, the BSE-Bankex index has been the hardest hit; it has shed close to 2400 points in the last one month. Inflation figures are a big cause for worry for the banking sector as a whole, said analysts. Inflation has shot up to 6.68 per cent, its highest in more than a year. “With such high inflation figures, the chances of a reduction in the interest rates have become even less. The buzz in the market is that this might lead the RBI to hike the CRR rate to curb inflation,” said Ms Anita Gandhi, Head Institutional Business, Arihant Capital Markets. Another reason, marketmen said, is that the cues for growth in the fourth quarter for banks seem weak. “In the third quarter, the banks declared good profits, but we will see a reversal...

Diwali bang: Reliance Ind offers 1:1 bonus, interim of Rs 13

Reliance Industries Ltd announced a 1:1 bonus share issue, the first time in 12 years. According to a proposal approved by the RIL board on Wednesday, all shareholders will get one free share for every share held by them. Around 35 lakh shareholders will benefit from this so called ‘Diwali bonus’. The last bonus issue (also 1:1) by RIL was in 1997. The RIL board also proposed an interim dividend of Rs 13 per share for 2008-09. The dividend will entail an outgo of Rs 2,219 crore, including Rs 322 crore in taxes, said a senior company official. The board also approved the audited results of RIL for the year ended March 31, 2009.