Vedanta is all set to undergo its much-awaited demerger, which would see four of the Anil Agarwal-led conglomerate’s existing businesses operate as separate listed companies, with today effectively being the last date to buy Vedanta shares in order to be eligible to receive the four new shares, as the actual record date of May 1 falls on a market holiday.
In an exchange filing released on April 20, Vedanta announced that each of its eligible shareholders will get one share of Vedanta Aluminium Metal (VAML), one share of Talwandi Sabo Power (TSPL), one share of Malco Energy and one share of Vedanta Iron and Steel for every share held in Vedanta. This marks one of the biggest corporate restructurings in India’s metals and mining space, allowing shareholders to hold a direct stake in distinct sector-specific firms rather than a diversified conglomerate structure.
Vedanta demerger record date
Since May 1 is a market holiday due to Maharashtra Day, April 30 will be the effective ex-record date for the demerger. This means that shareholders who buy the company's shares on Thursday, a day before the actual record date, will not be eligible, as shares will not be credited by the end of that trading day.
Hence, April 29 is likely to be the last date for interested investors to buy Vedanta shares, so that the shares are credited to their demat accounts by April 30, as per the T+1 settlement rule, making them eligible to receive shares of the four new companies emerging from the demerger.
How will Vedanta shares adjust to demerger?
Vedanta shares will undergo a special pre-open session on April 30 to discover the share price after excluding the value of the four demerged entities, which will be listed later. Post demerger, Nuvama Institutional Equities expects Vedanta to have a market capitalisation of nearly Rs 1.14 lakh crore. Notably, Vedanta currently has a market capitalisation of more than Rs 2.9 lakh crore.
“Based on our market-cap estimates, Vedanta and Vedanta Aluminium are expected to be classified as large caps, while Vedanta Power, Vedanta Oil & Gas, and Vedanta Steel & Iron Ore fall under small cap,” it added.
Vedanta shares are currently part of the Nifty Next 50 index. On the global front, it is part of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index as well as FTSE indices. Nuvama said Vedanta will continue to be part of Nifty Next 50, while the other demerged entities (Aluminium, Power, Oil & Gas, Steel) will be reflected as dummy constituents until listing. It added that Vedanta’s weight will be auto-adjusted on MSCI and FTSE indices.
When will the four new Vedanta Group companies be listed on BSE and NSE?
While the record date for the demerger has been announced, the dates when the four new companies will be listed on stock exchanges BSE and NSE have not yet been disclosed. It is important to note that the shares of Vedanta currently represent the combined value of all five companies. However, from May 1 onwards, the share price will represent the value of Vedanta excluding the four new companies.
Should you invest in Vedanta shares for demerger benefits?
Vedanta's demerger is a well-structured move that should unlock shareholder value over time, said Raj Gaikar, Research Analyst at SAMCO Securities. When businesses like aluminium, zinc and oil & gas trade independently, markets tend to value them more fairly than when they are bundled together in a single conglomerate, he added.
“That said, investors considering buying ahead of the demerger should be careful, the stock has already rallied more than 25% in just the past month, meaning a part of the excitement is already reflected in the price,” Gaikar further said.
If you are a long-term investor with a 12 to 18-month horizon and comfort with commodity price swings, the analyst said this restructuring makes sense. But chasing it purely for a quick pre-demerger gain at current levels carries meaningful short-term risk.
Know about Vedanta’s demerger journey so far
- Vedanta first announced its demerger plans in 2023, proposing to split its Indian operations into six separately listed companies, including a standalone base metals entity. Over time, the structure was revised.
- The demerger faced significant delays, largely due to objections raised by the government.
- Vedanta’s long-awaited demerger plan received approval from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in December last year.
- Under the approved scheme, the base metals business will remain within a restructured Vedanta, while four new listed companies will be carved out. The restructured Vedanta will continue to house the zinc and silver businesses through Hindustan Zinc and is envisaged as an incubator for future ventures.
Earlier last month, Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal told the Financial Times that the long-delayed restructuring could create “phenomenal shareholder value”. Agarwal told the FT that the new entities emerging from the conglomerate will have a free hand to grow. A privately held parent company controlled by Agarwal will retain roughly half the shareholding in each of the demerged entities, he added.
Vedanta share price
Vedanta shares have fallen more than 3% in one week, but gained over 14% in one month. The stock is up 23% in 2026 so far, after gaining 78% in one year. In the longer term, the shares of the company have rallied around 166% in three years and 204% in five years.
The company currently has a market capitalisation of more than Rs 2.90 lakh crore.
(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
