NTPC fixes FPO base price at Rs 201 a share

The country's largest power producer, NTPC, today said it has fixed the base price at Rs 201 a share for its follow-on-public offer, which opens tomorrow.

"The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM), in its meeting held on February 1, has decided the floor price for further public offer of NTPC at Rs 201 per equity share," NTPC said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

The government holds 89.5 per cent stake in NTPC and it plans to dilute five per cent stake constituting 41.22 crore shares through its proposed FPO.

At the floor price, the government would mop up Rs 8,286 crore from the market.

The EGoM has also approved offering a Rs 10 per share discount to employees subscribing shares in the said offer, thereby fixing the floor price for the employees at Rs 191. The issue closes on February 5.

This is the first public issue which is adopting the French Auction route to raise funds. Under the French Auction model, institutional buyers are free to bid above a certain floor price. The highest bidder gets preference during the allotment of shares.

NTPC's floor price was fixed at about 5 per cent discount to Monday closing on BSE. Shares of NTPC were trading at Rs 207.95, down 1.56 per cent over previous close on BSE.