The shares of Zomato Limited plunged more than 14% to reach ₹46 a piece, an all-time low. This happened as the one-year lock-in period for the pre-IPO investors had ended. This has led to a selling rush as per analysts.
“As there is no promoter, all shareholders, including the founders, collectively owning 77.87 per cent who were locked-in would be free to sell the shares without any disclosures on July 23,” said Shriram Subramanian, Founder and MD of proxy advisory firm InGovern.
Zomato Limited made a stellar debut on the bourses on July 23, 2021. They got listed at a premium of more than 51% above their issue price. They went on to reach their all-time high of ₹169 apiece in November last year. Since then they have fallen by 72.78%. The shares were down 12% within an hour after the markets opened on Monday.
Zomato is a company with zero promoter holdings, hence, the rule related to the lock-in period applies. As per this rule, for companies that do not have promoters, the equity share capital held by the company before IPO is locked for one year from the date of allotment of shares. During this period, these shareholders are barred from selling any equity.
“Zomato Ltd. has witnessed a significant underperformance since its listing and has fallen a whopping 71 per cent from its all-time high price. The company has been shunned by the investors post the beginning of the rate hike cycle by the central banks globally and the huge sell-off in the tech sector. Further, the company will take significant time to show profitability and the current market sentiments are punishing startups that are growing without showing profits. Therefore, we are averse to Zomato Ltd. despite its strong position in the online Food Service platforms and the current correction,” said Punit Patni, Equity Research Analyst, Swastika Investmart Ltd.
Some of the early investors of the company include Info Edge (15.18%), Alipay (7.1 per cent), Ant Financial (6.99 per cent), Tiger Global (5.11 per cent), Sequoia Capital (5.10 per cent) and Temasek (3.11 per cent). In addition, Uber owns a 7.78% stake and food tech company Delivery Hero boasts a 1.36 % stake.
Edelweiss had mentioned earlier this month that the correction in the stock has made valuations attractive. It added that acquisitions for internet companies were also looking well placed. Zomato’s acquisition of Blinkit would be crucial for Zomato to capture synergies from delivery fleet integration.
Written By Simran Bafna
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