State-owned Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is considering a bonus issue. In an exchange filing, the insurer said that its board of directors will meet on April 13 to consider and recommend a bonus issue.
“A meeting of the Board of Directors of the Life Insurance Corporation of India is scheduled to be held on Monday, April 13, 2026, to inter-alia consider and recommend a proposal for issue of Bonus shares in accordance with the applicable provisions”, LIC stated in the exchange disclosure.
LIC bonus issue and dividend history
Since its public listing in May 2022, the Life Insurance Corporation has not issued any bonus shares to its shareholders. If the board approves the proposal, this will be the first bonus issue by the company.
However, LIC has consistently given dividends to its shareholders. It first gave a final dividend of Rs 1.5 in May 2022. Since then, LIC has given the final dividends of Rs 3 in 2023, Rs 6 in 2024, and Rs 12 in 2025. The insurer has also given an interim dividend of Rs 4 in February 2024.
LIC’s stake in IDBI Bank and its sale
Currently, the government and LIC together hold a 94.71 percent stake in IDBI Bank. The government owns 45.48 percent, and LIC holds 49.24 percent in the lender. Of this, the government and LIC plan to sell 60.72 percent of IDBI Bank.
The Govt and LIC floated an Expression of Interest in October 2022. Financial bids came on February 6. After that, the government set the reserve price for the strategic sale. The financial bids for the IDBI Bank strategic sale, however, came in below the reserve price set by the inter-ministerial group on disinvestment, headed by secretaries in the finance ministry.
As per a latest PTI report, the government may ask for revised financial bids from two potential buyers of IDBI Bank as their original bid amounts were lower than the reserve price fixed for the strategic sale of the lender.
LIC’s stock closed at Rs 740.5 on Tuesday, a 0.6 percent lower in the intra-day trade.