The cash-rich Piramal Healthcare has closed its second deal in the past month to strengthen its pharma research and development business. The company has said it would acquire the US-based Decision Resources Group (DRG) for a consideration of nearly $635 million (Rs 3,400 crore).
Providence had bought 15 per cent in Idea Cellular in 2006 for around Rs 1,800 crore (Rs 18 billion) through its investment arm - P5 Asia Investment (Mauritius).
US-based buyout fund Carlyle, Providence Equity Partners, Warburg Pincus and Blackstone are understood to be exploring a buyout of Temasek's holding in Mumbai-based pure-play business process outsourcing firm Firstsource. The news triggered the company's share price to rise 6.76 per cent on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) to close at Rs 43.45 on Tuesday. Warburg Pincus has a stake in WNS, a BPO company, while Blackstone has a majority stake in Intelenet.
Aditya Birla Telecom Ltd (ABTL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Idea Cellular, will offload 20 per cent to Providence Equity Partners, a US buyout firm, for Rs 2,560 crore. This takes Providence's total investment in Idea Cellular to $1.04 billion, which is the largest private equity investment in an Indian telecom service provider. The deal values ABTL at Rs 12,800 crore.
Providence Equity Partners of the US, which had made an abortive attempt to enter India through the acquisition of C Sivasankaran's stake in Aircel last year, has picked up a 15 per cent stake in the Aditya Birla Group-controlled Idea Cellular.
BSE Smallcap index outperformed the frontline indices to rise 0.6%, while the BSE Midcap was flat