Fairfax-backed CSB Bank IPO subscribed 87 times so far on final day

Fairfax-backed CSB Bank’s Rs 410-crore initial public offering (IPO) was subscribed 87 times on Tuesday, underpinned by a rally in the secondary market and encouraging performance of new listings.

The share sale saw good demand from all categories of investors. The institutional investor portion was subscribed 62 times; high net worth individuals (HNIs) category saw 164 times demand and the retail segment saw 43 times demand the shares on offer. Analysts said investors were attracted to CSB Bank’s strong network and brand presence in South India. “Significant capital base, established SME business model, gold loan portfolio and prudent risk management controls,” were some of the strengths of CSB Bank highlighted in a report by Reliance Securities.

Given the huge oversubscription, the IPO is likely to be priced at the upper end of its price band of Rs 193-195 per share. At Rs 195 per share, CSB Bank will have post-IPO market cap of Rs 3,382 crore.

Analysts said the huge demand for shares was despite aggressive pricing.

At the IPO price, CSB Bank was asking for valuations of 2.4 times its book value. Valuations look to be stretched with established players like RBL, Federal Bank, and Development Credit Bank which despite higher return on assets trade at price-to-book multiples of below 2 times, wrote Reliance Securities in a note.

CSB Bank raised Rs 24 crore in fresh capital through the IPO. The remaining was an offer for sale by existing shareholders such as ICICI Lombard General Insurance, HDFC Life Insurance and ICICI Prudential Life Insurance.

As on September 30, CSB, formerly the Catholic Syrian Bank, had 1.3 million customers, 412 branches and 290 ATMs.