What To Buy Instead Of Lenskart — X Post Lists MRF, IRCTC, CAMS As Substitutes At Below Rs 70,000-Cr M-Cap
According to the post, an investor could buy stocks such as MRF, which has an m-cap of Rs 67,000 crore, or Godrej Properties that has an m-cap of Rs 69,000 crore.
The initial public offering of eyewear retailer Lenskart has become a major talking point among investors and analysts alike. While the company’s growth story and strong brand recall have attracted considerable interest, its lofty valuation has drawn sharp criticism from parts of the market. The debate over whether Lenskart’s Rs 70,000-crore valuation is justified continues to dominate online investor discussions.
Amid the noise, an X user going by the handle – Investment_Mantra – has sparked a conversation by listing several established companies that investors could theoretically buy instead of Lenskart, all within a similar market capitalisation range.
The post highlights the scale of the eyewear firm’s valuation by drawing comparisons with some of India’s most prominent listed businesses.
According to the post, an investor could buy stocks such as MRF Ltd., which has an m-cap of Rs 67,000 crore, or Godrej Properties Ltd. that has an m-cap of Rs 69,000 crore.
He also suggested that an investor can buy stocks of Patanjali Foods Ltd., whose m-cap stood at Rs 65,000 crore, or Berger Paints Ltd. at Rs 63,000 crore. Even Colgate-Palmolive Ltd.'s shares can be bought, with the company's m-cap at Rs 61,000 crore.
The list also includes Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (Rs 58,000 crore), Tata Communications Ltd. (Rs 54,000 crore), Nippon Mutual Fund (Rs 54,000 crore), and either of the depositories, Central Depository Services (India) Ltd. and National Securities Depository Ltd. that can be valued at about Rs 56,000 crore. Even Computer Age Management Services Ltd. and KFin Technologies Ltd. would amount to around Rs 38,000 crore.
The post concludes with a reminder for potential investors to reconsider what a Rs 70,000 crore-valuation IPO might bring to the table before rushing to bid.
The Lenskart IPO that opened on Oct. 31 was fully subscribed on the first day. While qualified institutional buyers subscribed to the IPO 1.39 times so far on Friday, non-institutional investors subscribed 30% and retail individual investors subscribed 1.11 times.
The IPO is a book-built issue worth Rs 7,278.02 crore. It includes a fresh issue of 5.35 crore shares, worth Rs 2,150 crore, and an offer-for-sale (OFS) of 12.76 crore shares, amounting to Rs 5,128.02 crore.
The IPO price band has been fixed at Rs 382 to Rs 402 per share. Each lot size consists of 37 shares, which means that retail investors need to invest at least Rs 14,134 to participate in the IPO.
Similarly, small NIIs can apply for a minimum of 14 lots (518 shares), amounting to Rs 2,08,236 investment at the upper end. Meanwhile, big NIIs can apply for at least 68 lots, requiring an investment of Rs 10,11,432 at the upper price end.
