Rs 5,750 crore Adani block deal: SBI Mutual Fund picks stake from GQG

GQG Partners has pared its holdings in two Adani Group companies through block deals worth about Rs 5,750 crore, with SBI Mutual Fund emerging as the buyer of the entire stake on Friday. According to NSE block deal data, GQG Partners Emerging Markets Equity Fund sold shares in Adani Enterprises and Adani Energy Solutions.

The larger transaction involved 1.64 crore shares of Adani Enterprises sold at Rs 2,913.4 apiece, translating into a deal value of about Rs 4,789 crore. In a separate transaction, GQG sold 63.66 lakh shares of Adani Energy Solutions at Rs 1,504.8 per share, amounting to around Rs 958 crore.

Together, the two transactions were valued at about Rs 5,747 crore. The shares were acquired by SBI Mutual Fund at the same prices through corresponding block deals.

The stake sale comes after a strong run in Adani Group stocks over the past year, during which several group companies recovered sharply from the volatility that followed allegations made by US-based short seller Hindenburg Research in 2023.

GQG had emerged as one of the earliest large institutional investors to back the Adani Group following that episode. Beginning in 2023, the fund manager invested billions of dollars across multiple Adani companies, helping restore investor confidence at a time when foreign institutional participation in the group had weakened.

Since then, Adani companies have focused on deleveraging, strengthening cash flows and improving operational performance. Several group entities have reported healthy earnings growth, while execution across infrastructure, energy and transport businesses has remained strong.The latest transaction will be viewed by market participants largely as a portfolio rebalancing exercise rather than a change in the fund’s broader investment thesis on the group.Adani Enterprises, the flagship incubator of the conglomerate, houses businesses spanning airports, roads, green hydrogen, data centres and mining services. Adani Energy Solutions is one of India’s largest private-sector transmission companies and is expanding its presence in smart metering and distribution infrastructure.

Shares of both Adani Enterprises and Adani Energy Solutions are likely to remain in focus as investors assess the implications of the stake sale and changes in institutional ownership.