Dozen more in billion dollar club

Riding high on the bull run in the stock markets, a dozen business groups have joined the $1 billion market cap club over the last one year. At on Tuesday's market price, this takes the total number of business groups in the elite club to 27 from 15 in August last year.

The list of the new entrants includes Vijay Mallya's UB group, the Lalit Mohan Thapar group, the Murugappa Chettiar group, Nicholas Piramal, Essar, Wockhardt, Godrej, the Jaiprakash group, the RP Goenka group, the BK Birla group, the Nusli Wadia group and Asian Paints.

The aggregate wealth of 27 business groups with a market cap of over $1 billion appreciated by 68 per cent to $128.87 billion (Rs 561,633 crore), compared with $76.66 billion (Rs 334,089 crore) a year ago.

Of these business groups, 13 reaped the benefits of the bull run the most with their market caps doubling in a year. The UB group showed 197 per cent rise in its market value to $1.77 billion (Rs 7,729 crore) from around $600 million (Rs 2,605 crore) last year.

The total market value of the Murugappa group appreciated by 184 per cent to $1.26 billion (Rs 5,504 crore), Godrej by 163 per cent to $1.04 billion (Rs 4,540 crore), Thapar by 158 per cent to $1.53 billion (Rs 6,655 crore) and the RPG group by 151 per cent to $1.02 billion (Rs 4,453 crore).

Three Indian business groups -- Reliance, the Tatas and Bharti -- have a market cap of over $10 billion each. The Reliance group tops the list with a market cap of $28.20 billion. Even after the split in the group, the Mukesh Ambani wing tops with a market cap of $24.1 billion.

Anil Ambani with Reliance Energy and Reliance Capital occupies the number 10 slot with a market cap of $4.1 billion. Reliance Infocomm, the telecom flagship company of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Enterprise, is not listed.

The Tata group ranks second with a market cap of $19.89 billion and Sunil Mittal's Bharati group ranks third with a market cap of $13.79 billion.

The next in the ladder are the AV Birla group ($6.87 billion), Ranbaxy ($4.83 billion), Shiv Nadar ($4.40 billion), Bajaj-Mukand ($4.34 billion) and the Sterlite group ($4.19 billion).

Among individual firms, two UB group companies -- United Breweries Holdings and UB Engineering -- have seen their market prices appreciating by over 1000 per cent over the last one year.

Among other group companies, United Breweries gained by 483 per cent to Rs 554.10 (Rs 95.10) and McDowell & Co by 412 per cent to Rs 320.75 (Rs 62.70).

The market price of Murugappa group company Parry Agro appreciated by 364 per cent to Rs 1,020 (Rs 219.80); EID Parry by 249 per cent to Rs 174.55 (Rs 50); Tube Investments by 178 per cent to Rs 383.45 (Rs 137.97); and Wendt by 120 per cent to Rs 650.35 (Rs 295.35).

The market price of RPG Transmission, an RP Goenka group company, rose by 612 per cent to Rs 142.60 (Rs 20.04); Saregama India by 316 per cent to Rs 181.15 (Rs 43.57); RPG Life Sciences by 261 per cent to Rs 146.85 (Rs 40.65); and Harrisons Malayalam by 247 per cent to Rs 129.80 (Rs 37.45).