Juniper Green Energy emerged as a standout performer, with shares surging 8.9% by midday following its successful market debut. According to reports from The Financial Express, the renewable energy company listed at a premium over its IPO issue price after the ₹1,800 crore fresh issue attracted subscriptions of 7.97 times, led by strong institutional demand with the qualified institutional buyers' portion subscribed nearly 25 times. The company raised ₹539.4 crore from anchor investors and plans to use IPO proceeds primarily for repayment of borrowings and general corporate purposes. The listing premium translated into a gain of about ₹1,320 per lot for successful allottees. As per the company's red herring prospectus, the listing is expected to improve its visibility, strengthen its brand and create a public market for its equity shares.
Defence stocks witnessed strong buying on Thursday, with shares of major listed companies rising up to 7% as the Nifty India Defence index gained nearly 3% and moved close to its 52-week high. According to latest reports, the rally comes amid continued investor interest in the sector, supported by expectations of higher government spending, a strong order pipeline and positive brokerage views. Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders surged 7.18% to ₹2,551.40, while Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) gained 6.27% to ₹4,936.40. Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) rose 5.19%, and Mishra Dhatu Nigam (MIDHANI) advanced 5.11%. Buying was seen across most defence-related stocks, with Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) gaining 5.04%, MTAR Technologies rising 4.99%, and Cochin Shipyard climbing 4.64%.
LIC shares remained in focus after the government's ₹31,552 crore offer for sale received overwhelming response from both retail and non-retail investors, resulting in the entire greenshoe option being exercised. As reported by The Financial Express, the transaction involved allotment of more than 82.23 crore equity shares, increasing LIC's public shareholding to 10% and enabling the insurer to meet the minimum public shareholding requirement well ahead of the regulatory deadline. The OFS comprised a 2.5% base offer and 4% greenshoe option, making it the country's largest public offering. DIPAM Secretary Arunish Chawla thanked investors for their enthusiastic participation, with the successful transaction strengthening the government's divestment programme after mobilising over ₹21,000 crore during the current financial year through stake sales in public sector companies and SUUTI remittances.
Swiggy shares gained over 5% by midday after the food delivery platform laid out an aggressive long-term growth strategy during its Capital Markets Day 2026. According to reports from The Financial Express, the company projected adjusted EBITDA of about ₹10,000 crore by FY31 while targeting consolidated gross order value of around ₹2.5 lakh crore. Management expects consolidated GOV to grow at more than 30% annually over the next five years while adjusted EBITDA margins expand to nearly 4% of GOV. The ambitious roadmap reflects Swiggy's confidence in its market position and growth trajectory in the competitive food delivery sector.
Several companies reported robust quarterly results, with PB Fintech shares trading higher after the Policybazaar parent reported consolidated net profit rising 92% year-on-year to ₹163 crore in Q1 FY27. As reported by The Financial Express, revenue from operations increased 40.1% to ₹1,888.28 crore, while adjusted EBITDA more than doubled to ₹186 crore, leading to a 300 basis point expansion in EBITDA margin to 10%. The insurance broker services business remained the primary growth engine, generating revenue of ₹1,728.44 crore, up 45.6% from a year ago. Navin Fluorine International rallied more than 8% after consolidated net profit more than doubled to ₹243 crore with revenue advancing 44% to ₹1,045 crore. EBITDA climbed 73% to ₹357 crore and EBITDA margin improved to 34.12% from 28.41% a year earlier. Neuland Laboratories surged more than 11% after net profit jumped over ten-fold to ₹148 crore from ₹14 crore year-earlier, with revenue more than doubling to ₹642 crore.
