Zomato plunges 14% to record low as IPO lock-up period ends

NEW DELHI: Shares of on-line food-delivery and restaurant platform Zomato Ltd. plunged in Mumbai after the tip of a lock-up interval for traders that had stakes within the firm previous to its preliminary public providing.
The inventory dropped as a lot as 14.3% to a file low of 46 rupees.
Zomato’s providing final July raised near $1.3 billion and lured traders together with Morgan Stanley and Constancy Investments. China’s Ant Group Co. was an early holder, having initially invested in it in 2018, proudly owning a stake of about 16% earlier than the share sale.
After a surge following the debut about one yr in the past, Zomato shares pared these good points to now commerce about 40% under the IPO worth. That compares to a 4.9% improve for the Nifty 50 Index over the identical interval.
Shares are underperforming the Nifty 50 Index for the reason that debut
Zomato’s profitable IPO final yr set the tone for the coming-out events of a technology of Indian unicorns, together with digital-payments agency One 97 Communications Ltd. However their shares have additionally plummeted as doubts persist concerning the valuations of loss-making know-how companies, notably as world macroeconomic uncertainty mounts.
The corporate is competing towards deeper-pocketed rivals together with Amazon.com Inc. and Naspers Ltd.-backed Swiggy, presenting hurdles in how shortly it will probably turn into worthwhile. Its current acquisition of fellow startup Blinkit in quick-commerce, one other high-competition, high-cash-burn phase, has left traders unimpressed.
The supply big reported a smaller-than-expected loss for the March quarter. Some analysts anticipate Zomato will slim its crimson ink over time, and level out that the meal-delivery market stays in its infancy.
Zomato is the most recent Asian know-how firm to see shares below strain following the tip of IPO lock-up durations. Chinese language artificial-intelligence-software maker SenseTime Group Inc.’s collapsed in Hong Kong final month as soon as restrictions on gross sales by cornerstones ended.