Opening Bell: Flat opening seen for Sensex, Nifty; ITC, IRCTC, SAIL, LIC, Vodafone Idea, Vedanta shares in focus

The Indian benchmark indices, the BSE Sensex and the NSE Nifty, are poised for a muted opening on Wednesday, undermining firm cues from Asian peers and a positive closing on Wall Street overnight. At 8:10 a.m., GIFT Nifty futures were down 12 points, or 0.05%, at 24,850, indicating a gap-down opening for Indian share market.

On Tuesday, the Indian equities market closed lower, ending a two-session gaining streak as investors booked profit amid valuation concerns. The Sensex settled at 81,552, down by 625 points, or 0.76%. Similarly, the NSE Nifty50 ended lower by 176 points, or 0.7%, at 24,826. However, the broader markets outperformed the benchmark indices and showed strong resilience, with the Nifty Midcap 100 and the Nifty Smallcap 100 ending higher by 0.15% and 0.10%, respectively.

Among the Sensex constituents, 25 of the 30 stocks settled in negative territory amid profit booking at higher levels. The top five losers in the Sensex pack were Ultratech Cement, ITC, Tata Motors, Axis Bank, and NTPC, sliding in the range of 1.4-2.2%. On the other hand, IndusInd Bank, Sun Pharma, Adani Ports, Nestle India, and Asian Paints were among top five gainers, rising by up to 2.6%.

Stocks to watch today

Q4 results: With as many as 359 companies set to release their March quarter results today, Wednesday is going to be an action-packed day on the earnings front. Big players such as Cummins India , IRCTC, SAIL, 3M India, Deepak Nitrite, Cohance Lifesciences, JSW Holdings, Nuvama Wealth, Bata India, Natco Pharma, Finolex Cables and TVS Supply Chain will unveil their Q4 results.

ITC : British American Tobacco Plc (BAT) plans to sell a 2.3% stake in ITC via a block deal today. Following the deal, BAT will remain a significant shareholder of ITC, with a 23.1% holding.

LIC of India: The country’s largest public insurer has announced its highest-ever dividend of 120% after its net profit surged 38% year-on-year (YoY) in Q4FY25.

Vodafone Idea:  The cash-strapped telecom operator has said that its board will meet on May 30 "to consider and evaluate any and all proposals for raising of funds in one or more tranches, either by way of a rights issue or further public offer or private placement (including preferential allotment or qualified institutions placement)."

Info Edge (India):  The company, which owns job portal Naukri.com, has declared a final dividend of ₹3.60 per share on a face value of ₹2.

INOX India: The company has received approvals from two of the world's largest brewery brands—Heineken and AB InBev—for its stainless-steel beverage keg manufacturing at its Savli Plant in Gujarat.

HBL Engineering : The company has secured an order from IRCON International for the supply of Kavach worth ₹101.55 crore in 18 months.

Vedanta : The meeting of the board of the company will be held on May 30, 2025, to consider issuing non-convertible debentures (NCDs) via private placement for routine financing and refinancing purposes.

EID Parry (India) : The sugar manufacturer reported a consolidated profit of ₹539.44 crore for the fourth quarter ending March 31, 2025, compared to ₹294.30 crore in the corresponding quarter of the last fiscal.

JK Lakshmi Cement : The cement manufacturer posted a 19.2% YoY rise in consolidated net profit at ₹193.17 crore for Q4FY25, while revenue from operations increased 6.5% YoY to ₹1,897.62 crore in the March quarter of 2025.

Hindustan Copper : The PSU has posted a 51.8% YoY growth in consolidated profit at ₹189.48 crore for Q4 FY25, while income rose to ₹777.28 crore.

Coal India, Hindustan Zinc, and Oil India: These three companies have secured critical and strategic mineral blocks as part of India's fifth tranche auction of Potash and Halite mines.

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