SoftBank Offloads Lenskart Shares Worth ₹2,873 Cr
SoftBank sold 5.65 crore Lenskart shares for ₹2,873.3 crore in a block deal, trimming its stake after the eyewear retailer's IPO.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
SoftBank sold a 3.25% stake in Lenskart through a block deal at ₹508.55 a share, just below the stock's close. The sale drew buyers including Societe Generale, Goldman Sachs, Fidelity and others, while Lenskart's recent listing gains and full-year growth stayed in focus.
A big investor sold a big pile of Lenskart shares to other large buyers, like selling a stack of trading cards to different collectors. The company still has buyers because many people think the business is worth watching.
Analysis
What happened
SoftBank sold 5.65 crore Lenskart shares, equal to a 3.25% stake, in a block deal worth ₹2,873.3 crore. The shares were sold through SVF II Lightbulb (Cayman) Ltd at ₹508.55 each, which was about 1.5% below Lenskart’s closing price of ₹516.3 on the day.
Who bought
The sale was spread across multiple institutional buyers. According to the article, Societe Generale bought shares worth ₹698.44 crore, Goldman Sachs picked up ₹701.47 crore, Fidelity bought ₹198.1 crore, and Kotak Mutual Fund and WhiteOak Capital also acquired stock. The article also says the IMF bought about 17 lakh shares.
SoftBank’s stake and return
SoftBank first backed Lenskart in December 2019, when it led a $275 million funding round that valued the company at $1.5 billion. Before the IPO, SoftBank held 25.34 crore shares, or 15.03% of the company. It had already sold 2.55 crore shares during the IPO, and the latest block deal means it has now sold about 25% of its March-quarter holding. At the IPO issue price of ₹402, the earlier sale delivered a 5.4x return, according to the article.
Market and business context
Lenskart has risen nearly 28.4% from its issue price and about 18% year to date, even though it listed 3% below issue price in November. The block deal comes after the six-month IPO lock-in expired, during which other early investors also sold shares. The company’s Q4 FY26 profit fell 7.5% year on year to ₹203.6 crore, but operating revenue rose 46% to ₹2,515.7 crore. For the full year, profit climbed 69% to ₹500.9 crore and revenue rose 33% to ₹8,814 crore.
Key points
- SoftBank sold 5.65 crore Lenskart shares, or 3.25% of the company, for ₹2,873.3 crore.
- The shares were sold at ₹508.55 each, slightly below Lenskart's closing price that day.
- Institutional buyers including Societe Generale, Goldman Sachs, Fidelity, Kotak Mutual Fund and WhiteOak Capital picked up stock.
- SoftBank first invested in Lenskart in 2019 and has now sold a large part of its holding after the IPO.
- Lenskart's full-year FY26 profit and revenue both grew, even though quarterly profit fell year on year.
If the market continues to absorb large share sales, Lenskart could keep attracting institutional interest after listing. The article also shows strong full-year growth in both profit and revenue, which can help support confidence in the business.
SoftBank’s large sale may be read as an investor reducing exposure after a strong run-up, which can create pressure on the stock. The company also reported a 7.5% drop in quarterly profit, so short-term sentiment could soften if investors focus more on exits than operating momentum.
