Bharti Airtel Share Price in Focus as SingTel Offload Shares Worth ₹8,485 crore

Shares of telecom giant Bharti Airtel are set to remain in focus on Tuesday, February 18, as its promoter group company, Indian Continent Investment, offloads shares worth ₹8,485 crores, representing approximately 0.84% stake in the company, through a block deal.

SingTel Board Sells Stake in Bharti Airtel

Bharti Airtel announced in an exchange filing that Indian Continent Investment Limited (ICIL), a promoter-group entity, has sold approximately 0.84% stake (~5.11 crore shares) in the company through a market transaction, generating around ₹8,485.11 crore. Bharti Telecom Limited, the primary promoter of Airtel, acquired ~1.20 crore shares (~24% of ICIL’s sales), ensuring that the overall allocation went to key global and domestic, marquee long-term investors.

This transaction follows Bharti Telecom’s recent acquisition of an additional 1.2% stake (~7.31 crore shares) from ICIL in November 2024. With this latest purchase, Bharti Telecom now holds approximately 40.47% of Airtel, reinforcing its strategic goal of consolidating its position as the principal vehicle for holding a controlling stake. The company focuses on gradually increasing its stake while maintaining a prudent leverage profile.

SingTel’s Presence in Bharti Airtel

SingTel is a leading communications group with services spanning mobile, broadband, and TV across Asia, Australia, and Africa. The company’s involvement in Bharti Airtel has been a significant part of its investment strategy.

In the December 2024 quarter, Bharti Airtel’s promoter group slightly reduced its holdings from 53.14% to 53.11%, while mutual funds increased their stake from 10.71% to 11.37%.

Previous Stake Sale and Financial Strategy

This isn’t the first time SingTel has offloaded shares in Bharti Airtel. In March 2024, the company sold a 0.8% stake to GQG Partners through a block window deal at a price of ₹1,193.70 per share. The upcoming stake sale is expected to follow a similar structure.

As of September 30, 2024, SingTel’s net debt stood at $7.8 billion. The company has been focusing on active capital management and asset monetization, with plans to explore a $6 billion (Singapore dollar) asset recycling pipeline.

SingTel’s Business Update and Future Plans

SingTel is expected to announce its business update for the December quarter on February 19, 2025. The report will likely provide insights into the company’s financial performance and ongoing restructuring efforts.

SingTel’s subsidiary, Pastel Limited, holds a 9.5% direct stake in Bharti Airtel, contributing to SingTel’s total interest of 28.9% in the company. SingTel has reiterated its commitment to capital efficiency, as highlighted in its investor presentation and annual report.

Stock Performance

On February 18, 2025, Bharti Airtel share price traded 0.03% lower at ₹1,675.10 at 9:22 AM (IST). Bharti Airtel’s share price reached a 52-week high of ₹1,778.95, and a 52-week low of ₹1,098. As per BSE, the total traded volume for the stock stood at 0.28 lakh shares with a turnover of ₹4.70 crore.

At the current price, Bharti Airtel shares are trading at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 63.69x, based on its trailing 12-month earnings per share (EPS) of ₹26.29, and a price-to-book (P/B) ratio of 9.85, according to exchange data.

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