Gensol Engineering's retail, FII holdings spiked weeks before Sebi crackdown
Retail and foreign institutional investors significantly raised their stakes in Gensol Engineering during the January–March 2025 quarter, weeks before Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) issued a scathing interim order against the company for fund diversion and severe corporate governance lapses.
ADVERTISEMENT According to the latest shareholding pattern, the retail investors, defined as resident individuals with holdings up to Rs 2 lakh, increased their stake from 23.44% in December 2024 to 30.68% in March 2025, a steep 7.24 percentage point quarter-on-quarter jump.
At the same time, foreign institutional investor (FII) holding also surged, rising from 0.63% to 4.88% in the same period.
This build-up in public shareholding occurred prior to Sebi's public order on Gensol, raising serious concerns about information asymmetry, timing of disclosures, and whether retail investors unknowingly entered the counter while corporate misconduct brewed beneath the surface.It is interesting to note that between FY20 and FY25, promoter holding dropped from 70.72% to 35%, even as revenues rose from Rs 61 crore to Rs 1,152 crore. Even on a quarter-on-quarter basis, the company's promoter shareholding witnessed a decline. The promoter shareholding for the quarter ended March 2025 stood at 35.87%, significantly down from 62.65% at the end of the December 2024 quarter.
ADVERTISEMENT
Also read: ETMarkets Smart Talk: Harshad Patwardhan, managing Rs 1591 cr AUM, offers playbook for creating wealth with sector-focused strategy
In January, Gensol announced a 1:10 stock split, which made its shares more affordable for small investors. The move coincided with a broader rally in clean energy and EV stocks, and Gensol, with impressive top-line growth, fast became a retail favorite.
ADVERTISEMENT By March-end, the company's investor base had widened, retail interest had soared, and FII presence had grown. However, it should be noted that this increasing investor participation occurred just before Sebi revealed the extent of financial irregularities and fund diversion at the company.Sebi's investigation, triggered by a complaint in June 2024, culminated in an interim order in April 2025, revealing that Gensol diverted Rs 977.75 crore in loans from IREDA and PFC, meant for electric vehicle procurement. Only 4,704 out of 6,400 planned EVs were actually bought.
ADVERTISEMENT Over Rs 200 crore was found unaccounted for, allegedly routed through Go-Auto and Capbridge Ventures, promoter-linked entities. The funds were allegedly used for luxury personal expenses, including a DLF Camellias apartment and a Rs 26 lakh golf set.In its order, Sebi accused the promoters of treating Gensol as a personal piggy bank, cancelling the stock split, ordering a forensic audit, and barring both Anmol Singh Jaggi and Puneet Singh Jaggi from the securities market. The regulator also cited falsified documents, a breakdown in internal controls, and gross misuse of company funds.
Additionally, it should be highlighted that earlier in the month of March, CARE Ratings downgraded Gensol's credit ratings of bank facilities totaling Rs 716 crore to CARE D, indicating default or high credit risk. The long-term bank facilities of Rs 639.7 crore were downgraded from CARE BB+ (Stable) to CARE D, while the long-term/short-term bank facilities of Rs 76.3 crore were downgraded from CARE BB+ (Stable)/CARE A4+ to CARE D.
ADVERTISEMENT
Also read: Warren Buffett now owns 5% of all US Treasury bills, a larger holding than the Fed itself
ICRA also downgraded the credit ratings of various loan facilities amounting to Rs 2,050 crore. The long-term fund-based term loan of Rs 925 crore and fund-based cash credit of Rs 718.5 crore were both downgraded from [ICRA]BBB- (Stable) to [ICRA]D.Similarly, long-term and short-term bank guarantee (BG) facilities totaling Rs 406.5 crore and a sub-limit BG of Rs 51.3 crore were downgraded from [ICRA]BBB- (Stable)/[ICRA]A3 to [ICRA]D.Many investors entered the stock just before governance issues surfaced, amplifying their exposure to risk.Analysts say that this is not a case of poor timing, it's a failure in transparency, as the data clearly shows that thousands of investors walked into the stock unaware of what was brewing inside.Veteran investor Vijay Kedia warned of more 'Gensols' in the making, and Sebi echoed concerns that stock splits and aggressive capital raising can attract small investors to companies with opaque operations.
(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
(You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
21 minutes ago
- Time of India
HC asks MMRDA to deposit Rs 1,169 crore arbitral award in dispute with Reliance Infra
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to deposit the arbitration award of Rs 1,169 crore with the court registry in connection with its dispute with the Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd ( MMOPL ), a subsidiary of Anil Ambani's Reliance Infrastructure . The MMRDA, a Maharashtra government agency, has moved the HC challenging two orders -- of August 2023 and February 2024 -- passed by a three-member tribunal in arbitration between MMOPL and MMRDA for various disputes including the cost of the metro project. The MMRDA, in an application, sought an interim stay to the arbitral award till the petition was heard and decided. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like B. Tech. Engineering Technology For Working Professionals. BITS Pilani WILP Apply Now Undo Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan on Tuesday refused to grant any interim relief without the amount being deposited. When parties agreed to submit themselves to arbitration and it culminated in an award, the money decree in the arbitral award is not something "written on water and irrelevant", said the judge. Live Events "Routinely granting a stay and that too without any deposit would run counter to the explicit legislative intervention that was made by Parliament to give teeth and relevance to arbitral awards," the HC said. The court further said no case was made out for an unconditional stay. If the MMRDA deposited the entire amount by July 15, then the execution of the award would be stayed pending final hearing and decision on the MMRDA's petition, it added. MMOPL, a joint venture of Reliance Infrastructure and MMRDA, operates Mumbai's first metro line on Versova -Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor. While Reliance Infrastructure holds 74 per cent stake, the rest is with MMRDA. The disputes between the two parties relate to the development, design, engineering, financing, procurement, construction, operation and maintenance of metro rail under a 2007 agreement. The metro rail project started with a delay of over two years. MMOPL claimed that the project costs increased from Rs 2,356 crore to Rs 4,321 crores, which the MMRDA contested. PTI
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
32 minutes ago
- First Post
SBI report finds India's household debt rise not a cause for concern
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) sees the increase in household debt as sustainable, especially given two-thirds of the portfolio is made up of prime and above-credit-quality borrowers read more What happened India's household debt has been on the rise over the past three years. However, according to a report by the State Bank of India (SBI), this increase is not a cause for concern. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) sees the increase in household debt as sustainable, especially given two-thirds of the portfolio is made up of prime and above-credit-quality borrowers. Tell me more - SBI reports that two-thirds of household debt in India is of prime and above credit quality, indicating strong repayment capacity. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD - The increase in debt is attributed to a higher number of borrowers, not excessive borrowing by existing borrowers. - Around 25% of household loans are for asset creation (homes, vehicles). - Another 30% are for productive purposes such as agriculture, business, and education. - 45% of loans (personal, credit card, and consumer durable) are used for consumption. - India's household debt stands at 42% of GDP, lower than the 49.1% average among other emerging market economies (EMEs). - The RBI's rate-easing cycle has led to a 100-basis-point cut in the repo rate, reducing interest rates on loans linked to external benchmarks. - Approximately 80% of retail and MSME loan portfolios are now linked to the External Benchmark Lending Rate (EBLR), leading to potential savings of Rs 50,000–60,000 for households. - The rate cut cycle is expected to continue for two years, helping further reduce household borrowing costs. - Last week, the RBI reduced the repo rate by 50 basis points to 5.5% and also cut the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by 100 basis points in four tranches. The context Household debt is a key indicator of financial stability, and while rising debt can be risky, the structure and quality of India's household borrowing paint a relatively healthy picture. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Economic Times
33 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Zerodha's Nithin Kamath hails SCRA rule clarification for stock brokers, "huge" for Rainmatter. Here's why
Zerodha Founder & CEO Nithin Kamath on Tuesday lauded Indian finance ministry and NSE for clarification of SCRA rules enabling stock brokers to invest their own funds without exchange approvals or restrictions. Calling it huge for Rainmatter, an initiative by Zerodha which supports and invests in Indian startups, Kamath said that Zerodha will now be able to allocate more capital to support domestic startups directly from the brokerage entity. ADVERTISEMENT "Finally, after clarification of SCRA rules by @FinMinIndia and NSE, brokers can now invest their own funds without exchange approvals or restrictions. This is huge for @Rainmatterin. We can now allocate more capital to support Indian startups directly from the brokerage entity," Kamat tweeted on his official X handle. The government had in May, amended the Securities Contract (Amendment) Rules to give regulatory clarity and enhance ease of doing business for stock brokers. "Amendment gives regulatory clarity to enhance ease of doing business for brokers," the finance ministry said. Through a circular issued on May 16, the Ministry of Finance recently changed certain rules about how stockbrokers can invest their own money. The main point of the change is that when a stockbroker invests his own money, it will generally not be considered as part of their "broking business" subject to certain conditions.'Provided further that investments made by a member shall not be construed as business except when such investments involve client funds or client securities or relate to arrangements which are in the nature of creating a financial liability on the broker,' the clarification said. The government amended the rules by inserting this provision in Rule 8 of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules, means they won't have to follow the same strict rules that apply to client-related transactions. ADVERTISEMENT However, there are exceptions to this rule. If the investments made by stock brokers involve client money or client securities, or if these investments create a financial risk for their brokerage firm, then these investments will still be treated as part of their business and subject to the usual rules.'Provided further that investments made by a member shall not be construed as business except when such investments involve client funds or client securities or relate to arrangements which are in the nature of creating a financial liability on the broker,' the clarification said. ADVERTISEMENT Also Read: Zerodha's MTF bet pays off, touches Rs 3,000 crore in 6 months despite a bear market: Nithin Kamath (Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times) ADVERTISEMENT (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel)
