Bharti Airtel Down 3% After Promoter Entity Likely to Offload Rs 7,200 Crore Stake

On Wednesday, the Bharti Airtel shares declined by 2.96% touching a day’s low price of Rs 2,097.50 on NSE after multiple sources mentioned that the stock has seen promoter-level stake sale activity through proposed block deals, even as stock exchanges have yet to formally publish detailed disclosures. Several media outlets reported term-sheet-based information on these transactions.

Promoter Stake Sale

Recent reports from multiple sources indicate that promoter group entity Indian Continent Investment Ltd (ICIL) plans to offload around 3.43 crore shares, representing about 0.56% of Bharti Airtel’s equity, through a large block trade routed via the block deal window on the exchanges. The transaction size is pegged at roughly Rs 7,195 to 7,200 crore, with a floor price of around Rs 2,096 to 2,097 per share, implying roughly a 3% discount to the previous close on the NSE.

Shareholding Details

As of the latest available shareholding data cited in news reports, total promoter holding stood at 50.27% in September 2025 quarter compared to 51.26% in June 2025. ICIL holds around a 1.48% relatively small single?digit percentage stake, and the proposed sale is expected to take its holding to below 1% in Bharti Airtel, though the wider promoter group continues to retain a dominant position.

Q2FY26 Financial Performance

For Q2FY26, Bharti Airtel reported robust year-on-year growth in revenue, profitability and operating metrics, underscoring a strong underlying operating trajectory. Consolidated revenue for the quarter stood at around Rs 52,145 crore, registering approximately 25.73% year-on-year growth, supported by broad-based strength across India and Africa operations.

EBITDA increased by roughly 35.31% year-on-year to nearly Rs 29,561 crore, driving an EBITDA margin to around 57%, reflecting operating leverage and continued cost optimisation. Net profit rose by 108.30% YoY, reaching Rs 8,651 crores, aided by better operating performance and disciplined capital allocation.

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Operating Metrics and Segment Trends

On the Indian mobile side, revenue was driven primarily by higher ARPU and steady customer upgrades to premium plans and 5G usage. ARPU for the quarter rose to about Rs 256 from roughly Rs 233 a year ago and around Rs 250 in Q1FY26, reflecting a richer subscriber mix and improved data monetisation. To provide additional perspective on India’s telecom landscape, it is helpful to compare Vodafone Idea vs Bharti Airtel, highlighting contrasts in subscriber base growth, network investments, and revenue mix across different business segments.

Subscriber metrics also remained healthy, with the company adding about 5.1 million smartphone data customers and close to 0.95 million postpaid subscribers during the quarter.

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