SENSEX declines 23 pts, NIFTY50 flat in noon session; RITES, Coforge, L&T among buzzing stocks

Benchmark indices, SENSEX and NIFTY50, were trading flat during a volatile afternoon session on Tuesday, December 23, dragged down by selling in IT shares and foreign fund outflows.

On Monday, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold stocks worth ₹457.34 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) purchased shares worth ₹4,058.22 crore on a net basis, according to exchange data.

The SENSEX declined by as much as 0.26% to an intra-day low of 85,342.99. Meanwhile, the NIFTY50, which was trading marginally higher, touched the session’s high of 26,206.55.

At 12:22 PM, the S&P BSE SENSEX fell by 23.45 points, or 0.03%, to 85,544.02, while NSE’s NIFTY50 was trading marginally higher at 26,185.75, reflecting a 13.35 points, or 0.05% increase.

The NIFTY50 index was supported by gains in Coal India (up by 3.64%), Shriram Finance (1.83%), Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (1.77%), UltraTech Cement (1.58%) and Power Grid Corporation of India (1.45%), which were among the top winners.

On the flipside, the top losers included Infosys (-1.21%), Bharti Airtel (-0.97%), Tata Consultancy Services (-0.75%), Wipro (-0.57%) and ICICI Bank (-0.54%).

Buzzing stocks on December 23: Check list

Shares of RITES surged as much as 6.62% to an intra-day high of ₹248 apiece on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) on Tuesday, December 23, after bagging an order worth $35.2 million from Ndalama Capital (Pty) Ltd., South Africa.

The international order includes the supply and commissioning of an in-service Cape gauge Alco diesel electric locomotive, it said in a regulatory filing.

Antony Waste Handling Cell stocks soared as much as 11.66% to hit an intraday high of ₹555 per unit, as the company’s arm bagged an order worth ₹329.45 crore.

The company’s subsidiary, Antony Lara Enviro Solutions Private, secured a pre-processing waste management contract by the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), it said in a regulatory filing.

The contract involves the establishment of a 600–800 TPD Solid Waste Pre-processing Plant on a Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (DBOT) basis on land owned by Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) at Atkoli, Taluka Bhiwandi.

Shares of Coforge declined as much as 6.94% to hit an intra-day low of ₹1,739.30 per unit after the company informed exchanges that its board will meet on Friday, December 26, to consider raising funds.

Coforge's board will consider raising funds by way of issuance of equity shares or any other eligible securities through permissible modes.

After the board meeting on Friday, the company will hold a conference call with analysts and institutional investors at 5:30 pm.

Belrise Industries’ stock gained as much as 11.77% to hit an all-time high of ₹179.90 per equity share, as it witnessed a large trade during the block deal window before the market opening.

According to a CNBC-TV18 report, as many as 5.83 crore shares, or 6.55% equity, worth ₹897 crore changed hands in a block deal. The transaction took place at ₹153.7 per share, the report added.

Earlier, CNBC-TV18 reported that its sources indicate that around 6.56% of the company's total equity, valued at ₹896.7 crore, was likely to change hands through block deals. The seller was reported to be Sumedh Tools Private Limited, which is part of the promoter group.

Shares of Orient Cement rallied as much as 9.46% to hit the day's high of ₹179 apiece, as Ambuja Cements announced on Monday that it would merge its subsidiaries ACC Ltd and Orient Cement with the company, leading to the setting up of 'one cement platform' and a pan-India cement powerhouse.

Ambuja Cements' stock advanced 4.36% to the session’s peak of ₹563.50 per equity share, while shares of ACC fell as much as 2.05% to a 52-week low of ₹1,746 apiece.

The stock of Puravankara surged as much as 13.62% to an intra-day high of ₹273.99 per equity share, after it acquired a 53.5-acre land parcel in Anekal Taluk, Bengaluru, with a potential gross development value of over ₹4,800 crore.

Liquor stocks, including United Spirits and United Breweries, were in the spotlight as Andhra Pradesh witnessed a rise in liquor sales, clocking an excise revenue of over ₹7,000 crore between October 2024 and 2025, against a target of ₹8,000 crore.

The state saw a rise of 4.5% in liquor sales from April 1 to December 17 during the ongoing 2025-26 financial year.

“Officials informed the Chief Minister that out of an excise revenue target of ₹8,000 crore between October 2024 and 2025, ₹7,041 crore has been realised,” said an official press release.

Shares of magnet winding wires maker KSH International made a weak debut on the stock exchanges on Tuesday, December 23. The stock was listed at ₹370 per unit on the NSE and the BSE, reflecting a discount of 3.65% against the IPO issue price of ₹384.

The stock of Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) increased by 0.55% to the session’s high of ₹4,095 per equity share.

This comes after L&T’s Hydrocarbon Onshore business vertical (L&T Onshore) won a major order (₹5,000-10,000 crore) from Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL).

“The scope of work encompasses engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of a Linear Low-Density Polyethylene / High-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE / HDPE) Swing Unit comprising two trains of 575 KTPA each, at Bina in Madhya Pradesh,” it said in a regulatory filing.

The project will be executed by L&T Onshore on a lump sum turnkey basis, it added.