Airtel's rights issue open Oct 5-21, priced at 26% discount to last close

Telecom major Bharti Airtel’s Rs 21,000-crore rights issue will remain open for subscription between October 5 and October 21. The record date for deciding shareholder eligibility to participate in the rights issue has been set as September 28.

Airtel has fixed the rights issue price at Rs 535 per share, a discount of 26 per cent to its last close of Rs 726 per share. Eligible shareholders will be able to apply for one share for every 14 shares held in the company. The rights entitlement (RE) will get credited to shareholders’ accounts by October 4.

The trading in REs will take place between October 5 and October 18. The special trading window will allow shareholders, who don’t wish to subscribe in the rights issue, sell their REs through. Given the wide discount between current price and rights issue price (termed as intrinsic value), REs will fetch a good premium, said market players.

“On moderately conservative basis, we expect Airtel's RE to trade at Rs 40-60 premium to intrinsic value,” said a note by Edelweiss. Airtel follows Reliance Industries’ template for its right issue, whereby shareholders will have to only pay 25 per cent on application and balance in two more additional calls, which will be exercised over a three-year period.