HDFC Bank, Ather Energy, Piramal Finance among buzzing stocks as SENSEX falls over 250 pts; NIFTY trades below 24,100

The Indian benchmark indices, SENSEX and NIFTY50, were trading in negative territory during the afternoon session on Monday, August 31, amid a surge in crude oil prices as Iran and the United States traded attacks for the first time in more than a month, raising fears of a renewed conflict after weeks of relative military calm. Investor sentiment also remained impacted by weak global cues and foreign fund outflows.

The SENSEX declined as much as 0.66% to hit an intraday low of 76,751.32. Meanwhile, the NIFTY50 tumbled as much as 0.75% to touch the session’s low of 23,993.60.

At 1:23 PM, the S&P BSE SENSEX slumped 278.60 points, or 0.36%, to trade at 76,985.91, while NSE’s NIFTY50 stood at 24,065.20, reflecting a 110.45-point, or 0.46% drop.

On Friday, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold stocks worth ₹5,039.80 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) purchased shares worth ₹5,183.93 crore on a net basis, according to exchange data.

Adani Enterprises, Adani Ports, Tata Steel, Hindalco Industries and Infosys were among the top losers in the NIFTY50 index.

On the contrary, the top gainers included ICICI Bank, Grasim Industries, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), Bajaj Auto and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries.

Buzzing stocks on August 31: Check list

Shares of packaged-food companies such as Nestlé India, Britannia Industries, ITC, Tata Consumer Products and Varun Beverages, among others, were trading in the red on Monday, August 31, following a proposal by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

In a compliance affidavit filed with the apex court, the FSSAI said the proposal is intended to provide a simple, prominent, and easily comprehensible warning to consumers regarding food products that are high in specified nutrients of concern.

It said the warning label shall indicate the applicable declarations, such as "High Fat", "High Sugar", "High Salt" and/or "Highly Sweetened Beverage", as the case may be, to enable consumers to readily identify products high in the specified nutrients.

Shares of HDFC Bank were in focus on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) on Monday, August 31, after Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer (MD & CEO) Sashidhar Jagdishan conveyed his decision to the board on Saturday not to seek reappointment to the top post.

At its meeting held on August 29, 2026, the Board of Directors took note of Jagdishan’s communication. Despite the board’s persuasion, Jagdishan reiterated his decision not to seek reappointment.

“Accordingly, he shall retire from the services of the Bank upon the close of business hours on October 26, 2026,” HDFC Bank said in an exchange filing.

The filing added that the board decided to fast-track the process for selection and appointment of his successor well within time.

Northern Arc Capital stock surged as much as 11.4% to touch an intraday high of ₹318.45 per equity share on Monday’s market, as investors recorded a ₹335 crore share buy-and-sell transaction during the morning block deal window on the National Stock Exchange.

According to the data collected from the NSE website, a block deal transaction valued at ₹335.24 crore was recorded at Northern Arc Capital during the Monday morning window, which involved 1,20,59,167 equity shares exchanging hands between an unnamed set of buyers and sellers.

Further details, including the names of the entities along with the average trading price of the transaction, will be disclosed by the stock exchanges after the market operating hours on August 31, 2026.

Ather Energy's share price jumped 3.8% to touch an intraday and 52-week high of ₹1,679 apiece on the NSE on August 31, as investors reacted to a series of launches including the Bedrock battery pack, the mass-market e-scooter Konarc, higher range options for existing product lines, and several new features.

On Saturday, August 29, Ather launched its new EV scooter named Konarc at a price of ₹99,999 ex-showroom in Bengaluru, in an effort to target a larger audience base and attract more customers amid elevated competition in the market.

The company has launched the vehicle in three variants, namely, S100, S125 and S160, with plans to deliver the S125 and S160 variants starting from mid-September 2026.

The stock of Transformers & Rectifiers advanced as much as 7.74% to hit the session’s peak of ₹326.95 per equity share on the NSE, after the company marked a strategic entry into India’s nuclear power sector with a landmark NPCIL order for transformers and reactors.

Transformers and reactors are essential electrical devices used in power systems to manage alternating current (AC) electricity, though they serve opposite primary functions.

The company's press release said that it has secured a large order for the supply of Generator Transformers for the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited’s (NPCIL) Kaiga Units 5 & 6 nuclear power project in Karnataka.

The order marks TARIL’s first order in the nuclear power sector, adding a new and strategically important segment to the Company’s growing portfolio of critical power infrastructure projects.

Shares of Piramal Finance soared as much as 2% to hit a 52-week high of ₹2,324 per unit on Monday, August 31, as the NBFC said it has completed its qualified institutional placement (QIP), raising ₹2,100 crore through the issuance of shares to qualified institutional buyers (QIBs).

The issue attracted strong interest from reputed domestic mutual funds, including ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund, Nippon India Mutual Fund, Kotak Mutual Fund, Quant Mutual Fund, Axis Mutual Fund, Motilal Oswal Mutual Fund, Tata Mutual Fund, Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund and Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund.

The QIP also saw participation from leading global investors, including BlackRock, Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Eastspring Investments.

Piramal Finance allotted 99,52,606 equity shares at ₹2,110 per share, aggregating to approximately ₹2,100 crore, with the QIP opening on August 24, 2026 and closing on August 28, with the issue completing as scheduled.

Sterlite Technologies stock jumped as much as 5% to hit an all-time high level of ₹757.70 apiece on Monday, August 31, as the company bagged a fresh order.

The optical fibre cable maker signed a long-term supply agreement from a hyperscaler firm worth $288 million. The international order is expected to be completed in three calendar years from CY27 to CY29. The deadline can be extended by a further two years with mutual consent of the parties, Sterlite Tech said in a regulatory filing.

The order includes allocation of high-density optical fibre cable products, which will be supplied as per customer specifications for each calendar year (CY) from 2027 to 2029. “The agreement establishes a reciprocal risk-sharing framework by defining mutual, capped financial liabilities for both parties in the event of demand shortfalls or supply capacity shortages,” Sterlite Technologies said.

Ashoka Buildcon shares rallied as much as 15% to touch an intraday high of ₹129 apiece on Monday, August 31, as investors gained confidence in the firm bagging an order from Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL).

Worth ₹602.16 crore, Ashoka Buildcon said it had submitted a bid for a project and finally received a Letter of Acceptance (LoA) for the same.

The project involves the supply, erection, testing and commissioning of electromechanical (E&M) systems for T-13, T-14, T-15 and T-16 tunnels under Package E-4 of the Rishikesh-Karnprayag New BG Rail Line Project in Uttarakhand. The scope also includes 33/11kV and 11/0.433kV GIS substations, HT and LT cables, DG sets, lighting, UPS, ventilation and fire-fighting systems, along with other associated works.

Shares of Leela Palaces Hotels & Resorts soared as much as 4.97% to hit an intraday and 52-week high of ₹582.85 per unit, as global investment banking and capital markets firm Jefferies initiated coverage on the pure-play luxury hospitality firm.

According to the note, analysts at Jefferies forecasted the company’s EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) and PAT (profit after tax) to have an estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19-20% between the 2026 fiscal year (FY26) and 2029 (FY29).

The analysts further stated that Leela offers a differentiated listed play on India's premiumisation theme, benefiting from rising luxury and experiential travel demand.

Furthermore, the analysts added that the company, backed by Brookfield, has been pursuing an owned-led expansion strategy, with the highest owned-room growth among peers, at an 80% CAGR and a 50% room mix, along with rising leisure share.

Shares of integrated gold and silver platform Augmont Enterprises Ltd made a strong debut on the stock exchanges on Monday, August 31, 2026. The stock started trading at ₹961 per equity share on the NSE, reflecting a premium of 21.95% over the IPO issue price of ₹788 per share. On the BSE, it is listed at ₹21.32 apiece, up 956% from the issue price.

A lot consisted of 19 shares and cost ₹14,972. Investors who received the Augmont Enterprises IPO allotment made ₹3,287 per lot, taking the value of their investment to ₹18,259, as per the listing price on the NSE.

The initial public offering was subscribed 105.78 times, as it received bids for 81,61,86,230 shares versus 77,15,999 shares on offer, as per the NSE data.