ASIANPAINT

May 12 (Reuters) - Berger Paints India BRGR.NS reported a 27.5% surge in fourth-quarter profit on Tuesday, aided by strong volume growth across key business segments on better product mix and softer raw material prices.

• Consolidated net profit rose to 3.35 billion rupees ($35.03 million) for the March quarter, from 2.63 billion rupees a year ago; volumes expanded 12%.

• Decorative and automotive coatings segments posted double‑digit volume growth, supported by premium product traction and healthy two‑ and three‑wheeler demand, helping total revenue from operations rise 6%.

• Improvement in domestic demand trends and sequential monthly upticks were positive indicators, CEO Abhijit Roy said, adding that calibrated price hikes initiated from late March are expected to support margins amid rising raw material costs.

• Company raised prices by 1% to 2% effective March 25 to offset rising input costs, joining peers Kansai Nerolac KANE.NS and Asian Paints ASPN.NS.

• Analysts at Nomura said higher raw material inflation in March and April could pressure industry margins in first quarter of fiscal year 2027.

• Berger re-appointed Roy as MD and CEO for a four-year term effective July next year.
  ($1 = 95.6275 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Devika Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair)

((Devika.MadhusudhananNair@thomsonreuters.com;))

** Nomura says Asian Paints ASPN.NS announced a price hikes of 3%-5%, taking the cumulative price hike to high-single-digits to double-digits

** The increase comes as the ongoing supply chain disruptions led to increased costs of raw materials, packaging and logistics

** Nomura does not expect the hikes to hurt industry volumes since paint makes up nearly half the total cost of painting services, which should limit the impact on demand

** Better realizations are expected to support industry sales growth and margins, as cumulative price increases flow through

** Raw material inflation picked up sharply in March and April, likely to pressure industry margins temporarily in 1QFY27, Nomura says

** ASPN has started to lead price increases, with other listed paintmakers expected to follow

** Nomura has "buy" rating on the sector

** YTD, ASPN down 11%, Berger Paints India BRGR.NS falls 12.7%, Grasim Industries GRAS.NS down 3.8%, and Kansai Nerolac Paints KANE.NS declines 13.7%

(Reporting by Yagnoseni Das in Bengaluru)

((Yagnoseni.Das@thomsonreuters.com;))

**Shares of Asian Paints ASPN.NS up 1.8% to 2,160 rupees

**As per media reports, the company hikes prices between 6% and 8% across its decorative portfolio in two phases starting April 10

**Follows a 1%-2% price hike by Berger Paints BRGR.NS and 2%-3% price hike by Kansai Nerolac KANE.NS effective March 25

**Macquarie ("Outperform"; PT: 3,100 rupees) says co's price hike is part of historical patterns of companies taking price hikes to pass on input inflation

**Brokerage believes margin headwinds linked to input cost inflation are more near-term in nature

**Stock rated as "Hold" on average by 35 analysts; median PT at 2,730 rupees per data compiled by LSEG

**YTD, stock down 21.5%

(Reporting by Mridula Kumar in Bengaluru)

((Mridula.Kumar@thomsonreuters.com;))

** Shares of Asian Paints ASPN.NS slides 6% to 2,466.6 rupees

** Shares fell 3% on Tuesday after company posted surprise profit drop

** Consol net profit fell 4.5% to 10.6 billion rupees ($115.69 million) for the Dec quarter

** Profit was impacted by one-time charge of 1.58 billion rupees tied to the country's new labour laws, outweighing strong volume growth in its mainstay decorative paint segment

** UPS ("Neutral"; PT: 2,900 rupees) says demand remained soft due to extended monsoon and an early Diwali pushing festive buying into the previous quarter

** Brokerage says the company aims for volume growth of 8% to 10% in the coming quarters

** Stock rated as "hold" on average by 32 analysts; median PT at 2,723 rupees - LSEG data

** Stock rose 21.4% in 2025

($1 = 91.6230 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Mridula Kumar in Bengaluru)

((Mridula.Kumar@thomsonreuters.com;))

** Shares of Asian Paints ASPN.NS slip 3.3% to 2,618.2 rupees

** India's largest paintmaker by market share posted a surprise Q3 profit drop to 10.6 bln rupees ($115.6 mln) from 11.10 billion rupees a year ago

** One-time charge tied to India's new labour laws outweighed strong volumes growth in company's mainstay decorative paint segment

** Analysts expected profit to rise to 12 bln rupees, per LSEG-compiled data

** Shares were down about 1.7% ahead of the results, and dropped as much as 5.8% after the results

** Stock set for its biggest daily decline December 9

** More than 2.5 mln shares traded, 2.2x their 30-day moving avg

** Avg rating is "hold" and median PT is 2,750 rupees, ~5.5% higher than current price - LSEG data

** ASPN rose 21.4% in 2025

($1 = 91.6650 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Anuran Sadhu in Bengaluru)

((Anuran.Sadhu@thomsonreuters.com; +91 8697274436;))

** Shares of Asian Paints ASPN.NS rise 1.8% to 2,919 rupees
** Top gainer on the benchmark Nifty 50 index .NSEI, which is down 0.55%
** UBS upgrades stock to "neutral" from "sell"
** Lifts PT to 3,200 rupees, an upside of 12% to last close, from 2,100 rupees earlier
** Brokerage notes the paintmaker has delivered double-digit volume growth and better-than-expected results in Q2 despite weak demand environment
** UBS sees ASPN's H2 volume outlook as a positive, and expects market conditions to improve in near term
** ASPN had said it intends to maintain volume momentum in H2
** Stock set for best session since Nov. 13, when ASPN jumped on Q2 profit beat
** Avg rating of 35 analysts is "hold", median PT is 2,750 rupees, ~6% lower than current price - data compiled by LSEG
** YTD, ASPN up ~28%

(Reporting by Anuran Sadhu in Bengaluru)

((Anuran.Sadhu@thomsonreuters.com; +91 8697274436;))

Nov 12 (Reuters) - Asian Paints Ltd ASPN.NS:

• ASIAN PAINTS Q2 CONSOL NET PROFIT 9.94 BILLION RUPEES

• ASIAN PAINTS - DIVIDEND 4.5 RUPEES PER SHARE

Source text: [ID:]

Further company coverage: ASPN.NS

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By Aditya Kalra

NEW DELHI, Sept 11 (Reuters) - An Indian court on Thursday dismissed a plea by Asian Paints ASPN.NS to quash an ongoing antitrust inquiry against the company, six people familiar with the proceedings said.

The Competition Commission of India is investigating Asian Paints, which has a 52% market share, after officials found merit in a complaint filed by rival Birla Opus that the country's biggest paints maker had abused its dominant position by offering discounts and incentives to dealers.

Asian Paints sought to quash the inquiry in July by mounting a challenge at the High Court in Mumbai, arguing that CCI officials damaged its reputation by publishing – and then deleting – allegations against its CEO from the investigation order.

The High Court in a brief hearing on Thursday dismissed the company's plea, and a detailed order will be issued later, said the six sources.

The court said it found "no merit" in Asian Paints' plea, one of the sources said.

Asian Paints did not respond to a request for comment.

The CCI and Birla Opus - the paints arm of Aditya Birla Group company Grasim Industries GRAS.NS, led by billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla - also did not respond to requests for comment.

Rapid infrastructure and real estate growth in India, one of the world's fastest-growing economies, has made the paints business a lucrative sector worth around $9.5 billion.

Birla dented Asian Paints' dominance after its launch in February 2024, growing rapidly to a near 7% market share by March this year, Elara Capital data shows.

The CCI's initial review showed Asian Paints imposed what it called unfair conditions on dealers, which it considered "exploitative conduct".

(Reporting by Aditya Kalra; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

((Email: aditya.kalra@tr.com; X: @adityakalra;))

Aug 4 (Reuters) - PPG Industries Inc PPG.N:

• PPG, ASIAN PAINTS RENEW INDIA JOINT VENTURE IN 15-YEAR AGREEMENT

• PPG INDUSTRIES INC - EXTENSION EFFECTIVE 2026 THROUGH 2041

Source text: ID:nBwQSSrxa

Further company coverage: PPG.N

((Reuters.Briefs@thomsonreuters.com;))

July 30 (Reuters) - ** Asian Paints ASPN.NS, India's largest paint-maker by market share, reported Q1 profit in line with market estimates on Tuesday

** Shares up 0.8%

TWO STEPS FORWARD, ONE STEP BACK

** Motilal Oswal ("neutral"; PT: 2,500 rupees) says exciting days far away for co

** Adds while co seeing some urban green shoots, uncertainty in demand and intense competition, softening raw material prices not rendering required confidence in earnings

** Ambit Capital ("sell"; PT: 2,070 rupees) says margin pressures to intensify as anti-dumping duty on Chinese imports seen driving up costs for co, despite controlled channel spends

** Cuts FY26 EBITDA estimates by 5%

** Centrum ("add"; PT: 2,650 rupees) says co taking two steps forward and one step back

** Sees persisting challenges in near-term competitive intensity, despite positive demand commentary

** Notes raw material softness to be offset by anti-dumping duty, co's growing ad spends, discounting margins

(Reporting by Kashish Tandon in Bengaluru)

((kashish.tandon@thomsonreuters.com; Mobile: +91 8800437922))

July 29 (Reuters) - Asian Paints Ltd ASPN.NS:

• ASIAN PAINTS - SEEING SOME EARLY SIGNS OF REVIVAL IN OVERALL DEMAND CONDITIONS

• ASIAN PAINTS - GREEN SHOOTS SEEN IN URBAN MARKETS

• ASIAN PAINTS - EXPECTS COMPETITION TO REMAIN INTENSE IN Q2

Source text: ID:nBSEkNZPs

Further company coverage: ASPN.NS

((Reuters.Briefs@thomsonreuters.com;;))

By Aditya Kalra, Arpan Chaturvedi and Aditi Shah

NEW DELHI, July 25 (Reuters) - India's biggest paints maker, Asian Paints ASPN.NS, is seeking to quash an antitrust inquiry, arguing that officials damaged its reputation by publishing – and then deleting – allegations against its CEO from the investigation order, legal papers show.

Rapid infrastructure and real estate growth in India, one of the world's fastest-growing economies, has made the paints business a lucrative sector worth around $9.5 billion.

The Competition Commission of India is investigating Asian Paints, which has a 52% market share, after officials found merit in a complaint filed by rival Birla Opus that Asian Paints had abused its dominant position by offering discounts and incentives to dealers.

In a court challenge, Asian Paints told Mumbai judges the CCI's July 1 order contained an allegation that its CEO warned raw material suppliers in a meeting that they would get less business from the company if they dealt with Birla.

Within 24 hours, the reference was deleted and a new modified order was issued by the CCI, Asian Paints said in the filing, adding that both orders were still online and such an unexplained change was against legal procedures.

"The concurrent existence of two different orders ... has undermined the integrity of the proceedings, creating confusion in the market," Asian Paints said in its July 14 high court filing, seen by Reuters.

"The contents of the first impugned order have also caused grave reputational damage to the petitioner and to its CEO."

The CCI did not respond to Reuters queries on Asian Paints' lawsuit or why the changes were made to its order.

Asian Paints, its CEO Amit Syngle and Birla Opus, the paints arm of billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla's Grasim Industries GRAS.NS, also did not respond to queries.

Reuters is first to report the contents of Asian Paints' 250-page lawsuit, which is not public.

Birla has dented some of Asian Paints' dominance after it launched in February 2024 and grew rapidly to garner a near 7% market share by March this year, Elara Capital data shows.

Asian Paints also presented a table to the judge citing other changes made in the revised order, including the deletion of a reference that its representatives were allegedly concerned about some dealers using Birla's specialist paint devices.

Making such changes indicates the CCI took its decision with a "pre-meditated mind", Asian Paints' filing said.

Ahead of the CCI's decision to investigate, Reuters on June 6 first reported Birla's confidential antitrust complaint against Asian Paints. Asian Paints submitted that story to the CCI and also inquired about the case, the filing shows.

Asian Paints' court challenge will be heard on August 6.

(Reporting by Aditya Kalra, Arpan Chaturvedi and Aditi Shah
Editing by Mark Potter)

((Arpan.Chaturvedi@thomsonreuters.com;))

Adds details on results, analyst comments, share milestone

July 21 (Reuters) - Shares of Reliance Industries RELI.NS fell about 2% on Monday after the conglomerate's energy and retail segments reported first-quarter results below analysts' expectations on Friday.

Reliance, one of the heaviest-weighted stocks in the benchmark Nifty 50 index .NSEI, was a top drag, pressuring the index and limiting upside. The index was slightly higher by 0.3% as of 10:15 a.m. IST.

On Friday, Reliance posted a 78% surge in first-quarter profit, helped by a jump in income from the sale of its stake in Asian Paints ASPN.NS.

However, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) in its key oil-to-chemicals (O2C) and retail segments came in below several analysts' expectations.

The company said planned shutdowns at its Jamnagar refinery in the western state of Gujarat hurt its refining operations, while seasonal weakness in consumer electronics weighed on retail growth.

"Reliance's share price could see a near-term moderation post this result print," Macquarie analysts said in a note.

Reliance shares are up about 19% so far this year, compared with a 5.9% gain in the Nifty 50 index .NSEI.

Despite the mixed bag, at least 10 analysts raised their price targets on the stock after the results, with the median price target rising to 1,640 rupees from 1,565 rupees a month ago.

Analysts noted the expectations of a recovery in gross refinery margins would likely be a driver for O2C growth this year, and also expected strong growth in the retail and telecom unit Jio.

"Retail and Jio are likely to accelerate, and the new energy ecosystem is expected to fully operationalise in four to six quarters, with partnerships and a self-funded model in a few years," Emkay analysts said in a note.

Meanwhile, in an interaction with analysts on Friday, Reliance said that the company was "evaluating" the European Union's newer sanctions on Russia. Reliance is among the top buyers of cheaper Russian crude.

"We believe that we are pretty diversified," Srinivas Tuttagunta, chief operating officer of Refining & Marketing, Reliance Industries said.

(Reporting by Sethuraman NR; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)

((Sethuraman.NR@thomsonreuters.com; (+91 9945291420); Reuters Messaging: nallur.sethuraman.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))

Adds details of gains in paragraph 3, Jio Infocomm results in paragraph 9

By Chandini Monnappa and Sethuraman N R

July 18 (Reuters) - Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries RELI.NS reported a better-than-expected 78% surge in first-quarter profit on Friday, driven by strong growth across key businesses and gains from the sale of its stake in Asian Paints ASPN.NS.

The profit jump was underpinned by a recovery in Reliance's core oil-to-chemicals segment, which benefited from improved refining margins and petrochemical demand. Strong performances from its retail and digital services arms also bolstered earnings.

Additionally, a sharp rise in other income, led by the sale of its stake in Asian Paints, boosted profit. The conglomerate's other income nearly quadrupled to 151.19 billion rupees in the June quarter, with 89.24 billion rupees stemming from the investment sale.

Reliance, India's biggest company by market value, in June sold a stake in Asian Paints >, worth about $1.12 billion.

Reliance Retail and Jio, which together account for roughly 45% of the company's revenue, had been the engine powering the conglomerate's earnings in the six months to March, while offsetting a slowdown in the oil-to-chemicals segment, its largest revenue contributor.

Reliance's consolidated profit jumped to 269.94 billion rupees ($3.14 billion) in the June quarter, up from 151.38 billion rupees a year earlier, smashing analysts' estimate of 198.59 billion rupees, according to LSEG data.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for the oil-to-chemicals business rose 10.8% to 145.11 billion rupees.

EBITDA from its Jio Platforms rose 23.9% year-on-year, the strongest growth among its segments, while retail EBITDA increased 12.7%.

Jio Infocomm, its telecom unit, logged a 23.3% rise in net profit, while revenue rose 16.6%.

The company said it was on track to set up its planned "giga factories" in the next four-to-six quarters and that, once operational, the business would be self-sustaining, without requiring further investment from Reliance.

Reliance, which operates the world's largest refining complex in Jamnagar, Gujarat, announced a $10 billion investment in 2021 to build its green energy portfolio and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2035.

($1 = 86.0620 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Sethuraman NR and Chandini Monnappa; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Pooja Desai)

((Sethuraman.NR@thomsonreuters.com; (+91 9945291420); Reuters Messaging: nallur.sethuraman.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))

July 9 (Reuters) - Asian Paints ASPN.NS, India's largest paintmaker by market share, said on Wednesday that it has sold its entire stake in smaller rival Akzo Nobel India AKZO.NS via bulk deals.

(Reporting by Hritam Mukherjee in Bengaluru)

((Hritam.Mukherjee@thomsonreuters.com; X: @MukherjeeHritam;))

July 3 (Reuters) - Asian Paints Ltd ASPN.NS:

• ASIAN PAINTS LTD - CCI ISSUES ORDER TO INVESTIGATE ASIAN PAINTS

• ASIAN PAINTS LTD - CCI REVISES ORDER AGAINST ASIAN PAINTS

• ASIAN PAINTS LTD - TO REVIEW AND COOPERATE WITH CCI ORDER

Source text: ID:nBSE8JC7yX

Further company coverage: ASPN.NS

((Reuters.Briefs@thomsonreuters.com;;))

Updates

** Shares of India's Asian Paints ASPN.NS down 1%

** Competition Commission of India on Tuesday found India's largest paintmaker in violation of competition laws and ordered a probe

** Asian Paints abused its dominant market position by offering dealers incentives such as foreign travel in exchange for exclusivity, coerced landlords and raw material suppliers to refrain from engaging with rival Birla Opus - CCI order

** Birla Opus is housed under Grasim Industries GRAS.NS, led by Indian billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla; GRAS up 0.6%

** Reviewing CCI order, will take appropriate legal recourse - Asian Paints

** CLSA says it believes complaint is reflective of increased competitive activity and will increase scrutiny on the responses made by incumbents to new entrants

** If final order is in favour of Grasim, and Asian Paints is asked to mend its manner of operating, it could lower entry barriers for challengers - Investec

** CLSA maintains "underperform" on ASPN, while Investec has "sell"; stock on an avg rated "sell" - data compiled by LSEG

** Stock up ~4% YTD

(Reporting by Hritam Mukherjee in Bengaluru)

((Hritam.Mukherjee@thomsonreuters.com;))

July 1 (Reuters) - Asian Paints Ltd ASPN.NS:

• INDIA ANTITRUST BODY ORDERS INVESTIGATION INTO ASIAN PAINTS FOLLOWING COMPLAINT BY BIRLA'S PAINTS UNIT-ORDER

• INDIA ANTITRUST BODY INITIAL REVIEW SHOWS ASIAN PAINTS HAS BREACHED COMPETITION LAWS-ORDERS

Source text: [ID:]

Further company coverage: ASPN.NS

((Reuters.Briefs@thomsonreuters.com;;))

Recasts, adds detail on industry, market share, analyst comments

By Hritam Mukherjee and Manvi Pant

BENGALURU, June 27 (Reuters) - JSW Paints will buy Dutch paint maker Akzo Nobel's AKZO.AS Indian arm for about $1.6 billion, in what will be the country's biggest deal yet in the sector as competition intensifies between established players and new entrants.

The deal comes as challenges for Indian paint makers mount, including volatile raw material costs and heightened competition, with billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla's entry into the sector last year eating into Asian Paints' market share.

Dulux Paint-owner Akzo Nobel had announced a review of its South Asia operations last year to rein in costs and boost its core coatings business.

Shares of Akzo Nobel India jumped more than 11% after the deal was announced, and were trading 7.6% higher in Mumbai at around 0830 GMT.

India's paint and coatings market is expected to reach $16.37 billion in size by 2030, Mordor Intelligence estimates, from $10.46 billion in 2025, driven by a boom in infrastructure and real estate development.

The deal, which includes debt, will be the Indian paint sector's biggest deal on record, Dealogic data showed.

JSW Paints, launched in 2019 and part of the $23 billion JSW Group, will buy a 74.76% stake in Akzo Nobel India for $1.05 billion and launch an open offer for the roughly 25% held by public shareholders.

Parent Akzo Nobel, the fourth-largest paint maker in the world by market capitalisation behind PPG, Nippon Paint 4612.T and Sherwin-Williams SHW.N, will continue to retain its research and development centre and powder coatings business in India.

GROWING COMPETITION

Once completed, the deal will propel JSW Paints to fourth place by market share in a sector dominated by Asian Paints ASPN.NS, Berger Paints BRGR.NS and Kansai Nerolac KANE.NS, according to Geojit Financial Services analyst Antu Thomas.

Birla-owned Grasim launched Birla Opus in 2024, crowding the already-competitive market. Birla has since filed an antitrust complaint against Asian Paints for allegedly abusing its market position, Reuters has reported.

In 2022, the competition regulator closed a case filed by JSW Paints against Asian Paints for abusing its market position, saying it found no breach of competition laws.

"While this acquisition offers JSW Paints a significant scale-up opportunity, near-term integration challenges could provide an opportunity for incumbent players to strengthen their market position in the luxury segment," Amit Purohit, vice president at Elara Capital said.

Akzo Nobel is likely to rake in 900 million euros in net proceeds and plans to launch a 400 million euro share buyback program after the deal's closing, which is expected in the fourth quarter of 2025.

(Reporting by Hritam Mukherjee and Manvi Pant in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Dimitri Rhodes; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala, Vijay Kishore, Aditya Kalra and Rachna Uppal)

((Hritam.Mukherjee@thomsonreuters.com; X: @MukherjeeHritam;))

Adds details, background from paragraph 2 onwards

June 16 (Reuters) - Billionare Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries RELI.NS on Monday sold shares worth 18.76 billion rupees ($218.32 million) in Asian Paints ASPN.NS through a bulk deal, exchange data showed.

The conglomerate, through affiliate Siddhant Commercials, sold 8.5 million shares in Asian Paints to ICICI Prudential Life Mutual Fund, for 2,207 rupees apiece. The price reflects a 0.3% discount to Asian Paint's Friday's close.

Last week, Reliance sold shares worth $901 million in the paintmaker, trimming its stake to 0.9% from 4.9% as of March-end 2025.

Asian Paints, India's largest paintmaker, is currently facing a potential antitrust scrutiny, with its growth being challenged by new entrants like Aditya Birla Group's Birla Opus.

Last week, Reliance said it had a balance of 8.7 million shares in Asian Paints, while Monday's stake sale reduces the balance to roughly 200,000 shares.

($1 = 85.9290 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Manvi Pant in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)

((Manvi.Pant@thomsonreuters.com; +918447554364;))

** Asian Paints ASPN.NS set for fourth straight weekly fall, longest losing run in 2025

** Set to slip 1.6% this week

** India's biggest paintmaker is grappling with rising competition, customer spending cutbacks

** Earlier in the week, Morgan Stanley said it expects co to lose 209 bps of market share over FY25-28

** Investec said dealer addition pace has "slowed down materially"; keeps "sell" call

** "For the first time in its annual report, Asian Paints acknowledged heightened competition ... is posing challenges" - Investec

** On Thursday, Mukesh Ambani's Reliance RELI.NS cut stake in co, selling shares at a discount

** ASPN the only major paintmaker stock which is rated "sell" on an avg - data compiled by LSEG

** YTD stock down 3% while benchmark Nifty .NSEI up ~5%

(Reporting by Hritam Mukherjee in Bengaluru)

((Hritam.Mukherjee@thomsonreuters.com;))

Updates with more details, background

June 12 (Reuters) - Billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries RELI.NS said on Thursday it has slashed its stake in Asian Paints ASPN.NS, selling shares worth 77.04 billion rupees ($901 million).

India’s largest paintmaker is currently facing potential antitrust scrutiny , while its growth is being challenged by aggressive new entrants like the Aditya Birla Group’s Birla Opus , as well as urban consumers cutting back on discretionary spending.

Reliance Industries said that it has sold the stake through affiliate Siddhant Commercials, which until March had a 4.9% stake in the paintmaker, exchange data showed .

Following the sale, Reliance Industries will retain approximately 8.7 million shares, which represents a 0.9% stake in the company.

The oil-to-telecom conglomerate sold 35 million shares in Asian Paints at a price of 2,201 rupees per share, a discount to the stock's Wednesday close of 2,208.8 rupees.

On Thursday, Asian Paints ended 0.48% up, but has underperformed the benchmark Nifty 50 .NSEI both this year and last year.

Last month, the Economic Times reported Reliance was looking to sell all of its 4.9% stake and exit its 17-year-old investment.

The identities of the buyers were not immediately clear and will only be ascertained later in the day when exchanges update details of the session's trade.

(Reporting by Hritam Mukherjee and Nishit Navin; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair and Tasim Zahid)

((Nishit.Navin@thomsonreuters.com;))

By Aditya Kalra

NEW DELHI, June 6 (Reuters) - Aditya Birla Group's Indian paints venture has filed an antitrust complaint against market leader Asian Paints for allegedly abusing its market position, three sources said, a case that could lead to a stand off between the two industry rivals.

Asian Paints is India's biggest player with a 52% market share, but it has lost some of its dominance after Birla Opus launched in February 2024 and grew rapidly to garner a near 7% market share by March this year, Elara Capital data shows.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has in recent weeks been reviewing a confidential complaint filed by Birla Opus alleging abuse of its position by Asian Paints, said the two sources, who declined to be named as the discussions are private.

The CCI is yet to decide if the complaint holds merit and needs a broader probe by its investigations unit, or should be dismissed.

One of the sources familiar with the matter said the allegations from Birla say Asian Paints ASPN.NS had asked its retail dealers to not stock the rival's products and had warned of restricting their credit facilities if they do so.

Birla Opus, the paints arm of the Aditya Birla Group company Grasim GRAS.NS, did not respond to Reuters queries. The group is led by billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla, India's seventh richest person ranked by Forbes.

Asian Paints and the CCI did not respond to Reuters queries.

Reuters is first to report the antitrust case, details of which - in line with watchdog's policy - are not made public.

The first source added that Asian Paints also allegedly told its dealers it will curtail its supplies to them if they put up hoardings of Birla paint products or place them at prominent places.

Asian Paints has not been told about the case, according to a source with direct knowledge. But it had received some media queries and has told the CCI in a confidential letter - seen by Reuters - that the company must be allowed fair comment before any decision is taken.

"The rapid and substantial growth of Birla Opus demonstrated the absence of any significant barriers to entry or anti-competitive conduct by existing players," Asian Paints letter to the CCI stated.

Birla has expanded its paints business in the $9.5 billion sector, starting last year with an investment of $1.2 billion, with five plants operational now. Asian Paints ASPN.NS clocked revenues of 294 billion Indian rupees ($3.43 billion) in 2024-25, and has 26 factories globally.

In 2022, the CCI closed a case filed by JSW Paints against Asian Paints for abusing its market position, saying it found no contravention of competition laws.

(Reporting by Aditya Kalra; editing by David Evans)

((Email: aditya.kalra@tr.com; X: @adityakalra;))

** Shares of Asian Paints ASPN.NS down 0.5% at 2292 rupees

** For the week, ASNP is down 4.5%, set for its worst weekly fall since mid-December, if losses hold

** ASPN said on Thursday demand conditions were at their worst in decades, unlikely to improve in near term

** Co missed estimates for fourth-quarter profit and reported a drop in sales

** Management indicated double-digit volume growth for FY26 looks highly unlikely, we see challenges of muted demand compounded by entry of new players - Investec

** ASPN up 1% in 2025 vs a 1.5% rise in Nifty 50 .NSEI

(Reporitng by Nishit Navin and Hritam Mukherjee)

((nishit.navin@thomsonreuters.com;))

** Shares of Asian Paints ASPN.NS fall 1.3% to 2303.8 rupees

** Paint maker reports Q4 net profit of 6.92 billion rupees ($80.8 million), well below analysts' average estimate of 10.84 billion rupees, as per data compiled by LSEG

** Decorative business reported revenue decline of 5.2%, hurt by tepid demand

** Stock was up 0.3% ahead of the results announcement

** Vols pick up post announcement, currently at nearly 2x their 30-day avg

** Stock up 1% in 2025 vs 2.5% rise in Nifty 50 .NSEI

($1 = 85.6350 Indian rupees)

(Reporitng by Nishit Navin)

((nishit.navin@thomsonreuters.com;))

March 27 (Reuters) - Asian Paints Ltd ASPN.NS:

• SETTING UP OF MANUFACTURING FACILITY FOR VAM AND VAE

• INITIAL PROJECT COST ESTIMATED AT 25.60 BILLION RUPEES

• BOARD APPROVES ADDITIONAL CAPEX OF 6.90 BILLION RUPEES

Source text: [ID:]

Further company coverage: ASPN.NS

((Reuters.Briefs@thomsonreuters.com;))

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Asian Paints Ltd ASPN.NS:

• ASIAN PAINTS LTD - GETS TOTAL TAX DEMAND OF 41.2 MILLION RUPEES

Source text: ID:nNSELW0Cb

Further company coverage: ASPN.NS

((Reuters.Briefs@thomsonreuters.com;))