Reliance retail reduces share capital

This news came as a jolt to many investors in the private market as Reliance retail announced reducing share capital and promoters taking 100% ownership of the company.

What is reducing share capital?

Tool used in internal restructuring of a company like mergers/demergers etc, reduction of share capital is done to reduce the liability of equity capital of the company.

It is like a precursor to buyback with the major difference being that it is applicable to all shareholders whereas buyback is only for certain percentage of them.

Reduction of Share Capital - Sorting Tax.

You can read the full story ^

What is exactly happening in the case?

  • Reliance retail announced reducing the share capital at 50-60% discount of the prevailing grey market prices. Basically, promoters who hold

  • just goes on to show how risky the private market is.

~ 99% is already held by promoters which they want to take it to 100% with this move buying out shares from other minority investors.

~ can they do it at any price? No, they have to follow the valuation rules prescribed by company law in this case.

There might have been previous cases where small companies have done this but seeing a large conglomerate doing it for the first time is an interesting move .

1 Like

Private markets are illiquid and reflects artificial prices as at 2600-2700, Reliance retail itself would be valued at 14 lakh crore nearly 75-80% of the entire reliance industries. The value that reliance is offering is 4x of the value from Feb 2020. So, the valuations from the company seems justifiable enough.

Deepak shenoy’s tweet thread is a nice read on this topic

https://twitter.com/deepakshenoy/status/1677297936135524352?s=20

Reliance retail e voting shareholders approval from 23 July to 11 August… compulsory extinguishing of non promoter equity