Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG), Norway, one of the largest pension funds globally, has a strong presence across Indian companies.
According to a study by Prime Database, based on the shareholding pattern as on June 30, 2016, the Norwegian fund owns stakes in excess of 1 per cent in 77 companies, totalling ₹14,599 crore.
GPFG, which commands a market value of NOK 7,322 billion (Norway Kroner), holds stakes in Indian companies, including ABB, AB Nuvo, Ahluwalia Contracts, Alembic Pharma, Allahabad Bank, Andhra Bank, Ashok Leyland, Asian Paints, Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Century Plyboards, IndusInd Bank, SBI, Reliance Industries, Tata Steel and Tata Motors.
Interestingly, the foreign fund major has been reducing its stake in a number of companies that cater to mining and coal assets, such as CESC, Coal India, GMDC, NTPC, Reliance Power, Reliance Infrastructure and Tata Power, from April this year.
According to the Prime Database study, currently FIIs are holding stakes in excess of 1 per cent in 454 companies. The top 10 FIIs hold shares worth over ₹2-lakh crore.
₹51,564 cr stake in 16 firmsEuropacific Growth Fund, the top fund based on valuation, held significant stakes in 16 firms at the end of the June quarter. The value of these holdings was estimated at ₹51,564 crore.
The total value of FII holdings in NSE-listed companies climbed to ₹20.13-lakh crore in Q1. At the end of the March quarter, the total value of FII holdings stood at ₹18.37-lakh crore. During the April-June quarter, foreign investors pumped in ₹14,671 crore, said Prime Database Managing Director Pranav Haldea. However, the valuation of FII holdings had hit an all-time high of ₹20.29-lakh crore in the January-March quarter of last year.
US-based FIIs leadIn terms of the geographical spread, US-based FIIs top holdings with 36.51 per cent, followed by Mauritius (21.21 per cent), Singapore (15.1 per cent), UK (7.24 per cent), Luxembourg (4.25 per cent), UAE. (4.14 per cent), Norway (3.32 per cent), Canada (2 per cent) and the Netherlands (1.01 per cent).
In percentage terms, FII ownership increased to 6.65 per cent in the June quarter compared to 6.59 per cent in the previous quarter.
The report showed 454 foreign institutional investors have invested in Indian equities across all NSE-listed companies. “FII holdings went up in 437 companies listed on the NSE in the last one year with the average stock price return of these companies in the same period being a huge 37 per cent. On the other hand, FII holdings went down in 577 companies. The average stock price return of these companies in the same period was 18.32 per cent,” it noted.
The analysis is based on shareholding patterns filed by 1,517 of the total 1,532 companies listed on the NSE for quarter ending June.