Suzlon India Limited, India’s largest wind-turbine maker, said it will consider today a proposal to sell 31.99 million shares to IDFC Private Equity Fund in a no-cash transaction.
IDFC Private Equity, which invests in Indian infrastructure companies, will get preference shares in Suzlon in return for stock it holds in Suzlon unit SE Forge Ltd., it said in a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange today.
“This is a transfer of IDFC’s stake to the parent company and no money is involved,” Anoop Kharayat, Suzlon’s spokesman, said by telephone. Pune, western India-based SE Forge will become a wholly owned unit of Suzlon after the transaction, he said.
Suzlon’s shares climbed 2.3 percent to 58.75 rupees at 11:33 a.m. local time in Mumbai. India’s 30-share benchmark Sensitive index, or Sensex, advanced 0.3 percent. The stock has fallen 35 percent this year compared with a 16 percent gain in the Sensex.
Suzlon, which reported a loss of 9.1 billion rupees ($205 million) for the three months ended June, is seeking funds to expand its presence in the U.S. and Europe. Suzlon in May agreed to 106 billion rupees of loans from lenders led by IDBI Bank Ltd. and State Bank of India to refinance existing debt, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
“This deal with IDFC won’t bring in any money for Suzlon,” said Krishnakant Thakur, Mumbai-based analyst with Quant Broking Pvt. “This also means there’s no chance of Suzlon listing its forging unit.” Thakur has a “sell” rating on Suzlon Energy.
Source: Bloomberg