Bharti Airtel Shares Fall 3% After Big Stake Sale by Singtel

Bharti Airtel, one of India’s biggest telecom companies, saw its share price fall by about 3% on May 16, 2025. This came after reports that Singapore-based telecom giant Singtel sold a part of its stake in the company through a big bulk sale of shares, known as a block deal.

What Exactly Happened?

Singtel, through its company called Pastel Ltd., sold around 47.6 million shares of Bharti Airtel. These shares were sold at ₹1,800 each — which is about 2.85% lower than Airtel’s last closing price. That kind of discount usually makes buyers happy but often worries regular investors.

The total deal was worth around ₹8,600 crore (or roughly $1.54 billion). After this sale, Singtel’s direct ownership in Bharti Airtel dropped from 29.5% to 28.3%.

Why Did Singtel Sell Its Shares?

This isn’t the first time Singtel has sold some of its Airtel shares. The company has been slowly cutting down its holding in Airtel since 2021. The reason? Singtel is trying to tidy up its finances.

They’ve said in the past that they want to reduce debt, use their money more wisely, and create more value for their shareholders. This sale is also part of their plan to bring their holding in Airtel in line with that of Bharti Enterprises, which is led by Sunil Bharti Mittal (the founder of Airtel). Bharti Enterprises owns about 23% of the company.

So basically, Singtel is not running away from Airtel — they’re just adjusting their position.

How Did the Market React?

When big shareholders like Singtel sell a chunk of their stake, it can sometimes spook the market. Investors worry that the company may know something they don’t.

That’s why Bharti Airtel’s stock dropped after the news came out. But according to experts, there’s no big reason to panic. This move was expected as part of Singtel’s ongoing strategy, and not because of any problem with Airtel itself.

In fact, Bharti Airtel has been performing quite well in the telecom space, competing strongly with Jio and Vodafone Idea, and expanding its 5G rollout across India.

What Happens Next?

For now, all eyes will be on whether Singtel plans to sell more shares in the near future. If more such big sales happen, the market might continue to react. But at this point, there’s no clear indication of more sales right away.

Investors will also watch how Bharti Airtel uses this moment to keep growing, especially in its mobile and broadband businesses, and how it keeps up with the fast-changing telecom industry.