Shares of Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd tumbled nearly 9% to a 52-week low on Tuesday after a large equity transaction worth about Rs 289 crore rattled the stock, according to reports, reviving questions around institutional exits from the Aditya Birla Group’s recently reorganised retail businesses.
The stock fell as much as 8.7% to Rs 65.81 on the BSE in early trade, making it one of the session’s sharpest laggards, after a sizeable block of shares changed hands at a discount to recent market prices.
According to CNBC-TV18, about 4.35 crore shares, representing 3.57% of Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail’s outstanding equity, were traded in a large transaction at an average price of Rs 66.4 apiece, valuing the deal at roughly Rs 289 crore. The identities of the buyers and sellers were not disclosed.
The report said that in Aditya Birla Lifestyle Brands Ltd, the demerged entity, about 2.8% of the company’s outstanding equity changed hands in a separate large trade. The deal in the demerged entity is yet to take place, the report said.
The transactions followed a report on Monday, January 19, by CNBC-TV18, citing sources, that block deals were likely in two Aditya Birla Group companies. It remains undisclosed which investors are selling stakes through these transactions.
Clean-out trades flagged
In Aditya Birla Lifestyle Brands Ltd, an institutional investor was set to sell up to 3% equity via a block deal worth $43 million, with the floor price fixed at Rs 106.14 apiece, sources told CNBC-TV18. The transaction is expected to be a clean out trade, report added.
As of the end of the September quarter, one of the promoter group entities, Pilani Investment and Industries, held a 3.67% stake in the company, while SBI Life Insurance Co. Ltd. owned 2.25%.
Separately, in Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd, an undisclosed institutional investor was set to offload up to 3% stake through a block deal worth $32 million at a floor price of Rs 65.78 apiece, according to sources cited by the report. This transaction, too, was described as a “clean out trade.”
At the end of the September quarter, foreign portfolio investor Theleme India Master Fund Ltd. held a 2.45% stake in Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail.
Pressure on shares
The latest selloff adds to sustained pressure on Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail’s stock, which is down about 13% so far in 2026.
Investor focus has remained on stake movements in the group’s retail arms following recent restructuring. In October 2025, Flipkart Investments Pvt. Ltd. sold a 6% stake in Aditya Birla Lifestyle Brands Ltd for around Rs 998 crore via a block deal, with shares sold at an average price of Rs 136.45 apiece.
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