Mastercard Asia/Pacific Pte. Ltd. is set to exit its entire holding in Pine Labs through a block deal worth nearly ₹890 crore, NDTV reported, citing deal terms.
Under the proposed transaction, up to 4.97 crore Pine Labs shares will be offered at a floor price of ₹179.50 apiece. The deal is scheduled for 22 September and will be executed through Citi, according to the report.
The offer price is 7.33% below Pine Labs’ previous closing price of ₹193.70. At the floor price, the transaction is estimated to be worth around ₹892 crore, the report showed.
The potential stake sale comes at a time when the stock has made a strong recovery in recent weeks, surging 40% from its July lows. The rally has helped narrow its year-to-date losses to 19% from 44%.
Meanwhile, domestic brokerage Motilal Oswal, in its recent report, initiated coverage on the stock with a ‘Buy’ rating and a target price of ₹250 per share. In its bull-case scenario, Motilal Oswal sees a 72% upside in Pine Labs stock and has set a target price of ₹330 per share. In the bear-case scenario, the brokerage expects a 27% decline in the stock’s value, with a target price of ₹140 per share.
Net profit jumps four-fold in Q1
Pine Labs posted more than a four-fold increase in its first-quarter profit, helped by growing adoption of digital payments and the underlying payment infrastructure in India. The fintech firm’s consolidated profit rose to ₹19.57 crore in the April-June quarter, from ₹4.79 crore a year earlier.
The company said the increasing use of digital payments among consumers and merchants, along with the growing adoption of India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), supported its growth during the quarter. Revenue from operations increased 19.6% year-on-year.
Revenue from Pine Labs’ digital infrastructure and transaction platform, which is primarily monetised through subscriptions and transaction fees, rose nearly 15% to ₹499 crore. Meanwhile, revenue from its issuing and acquiring platform segment, which enables banks and fintech companies to issue credit and debit cards, increased 31%.
Disclaimer: We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
