Will sell 16.5% stake and retain 5.9%; promoters to retain management control
The downgrade in the rating inter alia factors the deteriorating financial flexibility of the group marked by an increased pledge of promoter holding and continuous volatility in share price movement
Sources familiar with the developments said following the sale of stake to a strategic investor, the promoters might have only 12 per cent, including the 10 per cent stake with VTB
Content inventory, related party transactions weigh on cash flows
The promoters of Essel group have got further extension from the lenders
The promoters had earlier sold their 11% stake in Zee to Oppenheimer
Rs 170-cr exceptional item provided for as related parties delayed payment
The Zee management indicated that the delay in closing the balance sale was due to restrictions on insider trading window
The move comes with the promoters getting the much-needed extension of up to six months to pay their dues from most of the mutual funds
The share sale comes at a time when Essel group is trying to get an extension from mutual funds (MFs) and other lenders to clear its dues
In the past three days, the stock of Essel Group Company has plunged 19 per cent.
As part of the 'standstill' agreement with MFs and other creditors, Essel promoters have till September-end to clear remaining dues
Despite the churn, the private banks will still top the chart with a weightage of 26 per cent in the index, followed by the energy sector at 23 per cent.
The stock was trading at its lowest level since January 25, 2019 and was 5 per cent away from its 52-week low of Rs 289 touched on the same day.
Zee stake sale to Oppenheimer would benefit MFs holding the firm's shares as collateral
Stake sale meets only 38% of outstanding loans of promoter group
Apart from the debt burden, Zee is also facing competition from Netflix Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and hundreds of local TV channels vying to serve India's booming demand for content
The deal, at Rs 400 per share, values Zee at a premium of 10.6 per cent over the current market price and will be used to pay off part of the promoter-level debt.
Comcast, partners make offer for stake in Subhash Chandra's Zee Ent plan to snap up a 51% stake in the media company.
The net profit was driven by a 108.9 per cent increase in other income of Rs 103.9 crore