Promoters raise stakes in 20 NIFTY500 stocks in Q4 FY26; Adani Energy, Grasim, Maruti on the list

The Indian equity benchmarks posted their worst quarterly performance in the fourth quarter of the financial year 2025-26 (Q4FY26), data from stock exchanges showed.

In Q4, the 30-share S&P BSE SENSEX crashed by 13,273 points, or 15.57%, while the National Stock Exchange (NSE) benchmark NIFTY50 index dropped a whopping 14.53%, or 3,798 points, from the December 31 closing of 26,130.

The investor sentiment for equities turned sour in March following the geopolitical tensions after the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran, triggering a wave of selling pressure in markets worldwide.

Fears of rising inflation due to surging crude oil prices led to market participants factoring in the impact of war on the future earnings of the companies.

The strikes led to the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, escalating geopolitical tensions and deepening global economic uncertainty.

That said, while equities were witnessing a highly volatile time in the last quarter of the previous financial year, data from Ace Equity show that promoters of 20 companies in the NIFTY500 index increased their holdings during the troubled time for markets in general.

Promoters raising stakes in their companies generally indicate their positive sentiment towards their business.

Promoters are aware of the company's plan, actual financials, growth rate, product demand, etc. When the promoter holding is high, it shows management is confident about the business and future potential, analysts said.

The promoters held a 69.94% stake in the company during the year-ago period.

Notably, foreign promoters of the company raised their stake in Maruti Suzuki.

NCC, Vardhman Textiles, Saregama India, UPL, HEG, Kalpataru Projects International, Jindal Stainless, IRB Infrastructure Developers, Lodha Developers, Kalyan Jewellers India and Paradeep Phosphates were also on the list where companies' promoters increased their stakes.