SBI Funds Management Ltd., India’s largest mutual fund, and other domestic money managers were willing to pay around 17-18 rupees a share in Zepto’s anchor allocation, valuing the company at about $2.3 billion, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions were private.
That’s well below the 55 rupees a share at which the stock changed hands in the unofficial market in March, according to UnlistedZone.com, a platform that facilitates trading in private company shares. The price implied a valuation of about $7.2 billion, slightly above Zepto’s last private funding round in October, as expectations of a blockbuster IPO and robust institutional demand buoyed sentiment at the time.
Representatives for Zepto and SBI Funds Management did not respond to queries seeking comment.
The valuation gap ultimately prompted the company to defer what had been one of India’s most closely watched public offerings this year. Over the weekend, Zepto said it was putting its IPO plans on hold for a few quarters and would instead raise capital through a private share sale.
Several prominent Indian investors had bought Zepto shares at 40.13 rupees apiece before the IPO process began, according to the disclosures in the company’s draft prospectus. They include Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd. founders Motilal Oswal and Raamdeo Agrawal, Max Healthcare Institute Ltd. Chairman Abhay Soi, former Britannia Industries Ltd. Managing Director Varun Berry and actor Abhishek Bachchan.
“With geopolitical concerns weighing on market sentiment, investors have turned skeptical of valuations, especially loss-making businesses such as Zepto,” said Umesh Chandra Paliwal, co-founder of UnlistedZone.
Zepto’s funding round in October valued its shares at about 52 rupees apiece, which fell as low as 22 rupees in July before recovering to trade at about 27 rupees currently, he added.
