The BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty remained volatile on F&O expiry on Thursday and ended the session marginally in red as sentiment remained weak in the absence of any positive trigger amid sustained capital outflows by foreign funds. Sensex closed 22.82 points down at 24,469.57 on Thursday, while Nifty settled 13.10 points down at 7424.65.
Around 30 stocks ended the week in red in the 50-share index with shares of Idea Cellular tanked the most —4.47 per cent, followed by Larsen & Toubro (down 3.03 per cent), Bharti Airtel (down 2.96 per cent), Punjab National Bank (down 2.45 per cent) and Adani Ports (down 2.37 per cent).
On the other hand, Vedanta, Cairn India and Power Grid gained 5.64 per cent, 4.51 per cent and 4.05 per cent, respectively.
Below are the top 10 stocks that remained in news today:
JustDial: Shares of the local search engine hit their new 52-week low of Rs 713.10 and closed 8.50 per cent down at Rs 717.95 after it reported 16 per cent decline in net profit for the quarter ended December 31.
Power Grid: Power Grid gained nearly 4 per cent after the company on Wednesday reported 31 per cent jump in its standalone net profit at Rs 1,613.12 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 on account of rise in revenue from its transmission business.
Engineers India Ltd: The government will sell 10 per cent of its stake in Engineers India Ltd (EIL) on Friday, which is likely to fetch over Rs 690 crore to the Exchequer. Shares of the company closed 5.53 per cent down at Rs 194.05.
Reliance Communications, Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular: Telecom stocks Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Reliance Communications remained under pressure after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) proposed auction of 700 MHz spectrum at a reserve price of Rs 11,485 crore per MHz. This is the highest reserve price fixed for a band ever since the process for spectrum auction started nearly five years ago. Shares of Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Reliance Communications closed 2.32 per cent, 4.08 per cent and 1.43 per cent down at Rs 291, Rs 104.75 and Rs 62.15, respectively.
Jindal Stainless Hisar: Jindal Stainless (Hisar) shares closed 5 per cent down at Rs 34.20 on the National Stock Exchange. Jindal Stainless (Hisar) marked a new beginning on Thursday by listing on the National Stock Exchange(NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange(BSE) with the signature ‘bell ringing’ ceremony at NSE.
Punj Lloyd: Shares of the company closed 6.44 per cent up at Rs 25.60 after the company announced that its joint venture with Limak (50-50 share) has won Rs 2,780 crore TANAP gas pipeline contract in Turkey.
Dabur India: FMCG major Dabur reported an increase of 12.64 per cent in consolidated net profit at Rs 318.54 crore for the December quarter on account of growth in its consumer care business. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 282.78 crore during the same period of the previous fiscal. Shares of Dabur India closed 2.62 per cent up at Rs 243.20.
SKS Microfinance: SKS Microfinance on Wednesday reported nearly twofold increase in net profit at Rs 79,4 crore for the third quarter ended December 31. Shares of SKS Microfinance closed 7.48 per cent up at Rs 534.60.
