2i Capital Sells Part Stake in Titagarh Wagons To Hedge Fund

Bangalore-based private equity fund 2i Capital has sold nearly half of its stake in railway freight wagon manufacturer Titagarh Wagons. The fund sold a 2.71% stake in Titagarh for a total sum of Rs 9.55 crore on Wednesday when Sensex reached a six month high. The shares weresold at a price of Rs 191 per share to hedge fund Indus Capital Advisors. At the time of listing, 2i Capital held a little more than a million shares. The PE fund's average stock acquisition price stands at Rs 191 per share, Vivek Sekhar, CEO of 2i Capital (India) Pvt. Ltd, told VCCircle in an email response. This means that 2i Capital has sold its stake exactly at par to its acquisition price. The private equity firm, which is currently raising its second fund of $200 million, still has a little more than 3% stake in the firm. Sekhar also said that 2i Capital's average sale price is higher as it sold some stake in a trade sale. Titagarh Wagons listed on April 2008 with a price band of Rs 540-610. The Kolkata-based firm also sold stake to GE Capital International and JPM Morgan Mauritius in a pre-IPO deal. It had reached a 52-week high of Rs 907 last year before slipping as markets melted. Titagarh Wagons had raised Rs 24.7 crore from 2i Capital in March 2006, by selling stake at a price of Rs 1711 per share. ChrysCapital also picked up a stake in the firm for around Rs 55 crore in 2006, buying stake both from the promoters and through fresh equity. The number of shares held by 2i Capital later increased due to a bonus issue in January 2007.
The stake has been sold by 2i Capital soon after one year lock-in period post listing has completed.

PE Funds Continue To Exit

Private equity funds continue to selectively pare their shareholding in various listed portfolio companies, making best of what is tipped to be a bull rally. The funds may also see this as good time to exit as markets are expected to see volatility post-elections, especially between 16 to 30 May, when the government is to be formed. Besides 2i Capital, IL&FS India Leverage Fund also sold a little more than 2% stake in IBN18 Broadcast, which operates general news channels CNN-IBN and IBN7. The stake has been sold for Rs 35.8 crore between September 2008 and April 2009, IBN18 said in a filing earlier this month. Last month Citigroup Venture Capital International sold nearly a 5% stake in Techno Electric & Engg Company and UK-based 3i Group also sold 1.42% stake in Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone Ltd. Earlier this month also IDFC Private Equity sold a small part of its stake inGujarat State Petronet Ltd via open market deals.

Source: VCCIRCLE