Bharti Infratel hits 5-year low as deadline for merger with Indus extends

The company has extended the deadline for its merger with Indus Towers by two months till December 24, 2019.

Shares of Bharti Infratel hit an over five-year low of Rs 219, down 8 per cent on Friday, extending its Thursday’s 8 per cent decline on the BSE after the company extended the deadline for its merger with Indus Towers by two months while considering regulatory uncertainty looming over the deal.

The stock of the tower and related infrastructure sharing services provider was trading at its lowest level since May 2014.

“The board of directors, in its meeting held on October 24, 2019, has accepted the Committee of Directors (CoD's) recommendations to extend the long stop date by 60 days i.e. till December 24, 2019, on the basis of agreements on closing adjustments and other conditions precedent for closing,” Bharti Infratel said in a regulatory filing.

Since the completion of merger is contingent upon receipt of requisite regulatory approvals and fulfilment of other conditions precedent, there can be no assurance that the merger can be completed within the extended time-frame, it added.

The company said the delay in the deal will also result in a lower payment to Vodafone Idea for its around 11.15 per cent stake.

Based on the net debt as on September 30, 2019 and such agreed closing adjustments, it is expected that the dilution of equity stake held by the current shareholders of Bharti Infratel shall be lower on the account of lesser number of shares to be issued against swap of Indus shares vis-a-vis the illustrative shareholdings disclosed in the original transaction announcement, Bharti Infratel said.

At 09:41 am, Bharti Infratel was trading 6 per cent lower at Rs 221 on the BSE, as compared to a 0.27 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex. A combined 4.4 million shares changed hands on the counter on the NSE and BSE so far.