Wednesday, May 9, 2007

LIC hikes Hindalco stake to 9%

Cashing in on the opportunity to consolidate its stake in Hindalco, Life Insurance Corp (LIC) has hiked its stake in the Aditya Birla flagship to over 9% through open market transactions, after its share price plunged on Novelis buyout.

Hindalco, which announced its $6 billion Novelis acquisition on February 11, saw its share price plunging 14% to Rs 149.45 a day later, and has since remained closer to this price.This lured the country's top insurer, which bought more than two crore shares in the company between March 31 and April 28 this year.

Between January 5, 2006 and April 28, 2007, LIC purchased 2.05% or 4.01 crore shares in Hindalco, the company said in a regulatory filing.

However, a closer analysis of the shareholding pattern reveals out of this 4.01 crore shares, LIC acquired 2.13 crore shares for up to Rs 324 crore in just 20 days after March 31.In comparison, it took LIC 15 months to increase its holding to 8.6 crore shares till March 31, from 6.48 crore shares, or 7.01% stake, as on January 5, 2006.

Investors may have dumped the Hindalco stock citing short-term concerns like Tata Steel after acquiring Corus, but LIC took the oppurtunity to grab a position in the company which is slated to be the world's largest aluminium rolling company after the Novelis buy-out.

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