Top-10 firms: Six add ₹74,111 crore in market cap in a week
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
The combined market capitalisation of six of India's top-10 most valued companies rose by ₹74,111.57 crore last week, buoyed by a positive equity trend. ICICI Bank, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), Bajaj Finance, and Larsen & Toubro led the gains during the week ended 24 May. The BSE benchmark index advanced 177.36 points, or 0.23%, over the same period.
Top Gainers
TCS posted the largest absolute gain among the winners, with its market cap climbing ₹19,338.68 crore to reach ₹8,38,401.33 crore. ICICI Bank added ₹14,515.93 crore, lifting its valuation to ₹9,06,901.32 crore.
LIC saw its market cap rise by ₹9,076.37 crore to ₹5,14,443.69 crore. Bajaj Finance gained ₹3,797.83 crore, taking its valuation to ₹5,70,515.57 crore, while Larsen & Toubro added ₹2,685.87 crore to stand at ₹5,40,228.21 crore.
Notable Losers
Bharti Airtel suffered the steepest erosion among the top-10, shedding ₹20,229.67 crore in market cap to close the week at ₹11,40,295.49 crore. Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) lost ₹16,212.18 crore, bringing its valuation down to ₹5,17,380 crore.
State Bank of India (SBI) saw its market cap decline by ₹12,784.4 crore to ₹8,76,077.92 crore, while HDFC Bank shed ₹2,094.35 crore, closing at ₹11,79,974.90 crore.
Current Rankings
In the overall pecking order of India's most valued firms, HDFC Bank retained its position at the top, followed by Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, SBI, TCS, Bajaj Finance, Larsen & Toubro, Hindustan Unilever, and LIC.
Market Context
The week's gains were concentrated in financial services and IT, sectors that tend to benefit from improving domestic sentiment and stable global cues. Notably, the divergence between gainers and losers within the top-10 reflects selective institutional buying rather than a broad-based rally. With the BSE benchmark's weekly gain remaining modest at under 0.25%, the market cap additions were driven largely by stock-specific momentum. Investors will watch upcoming quarterly earnings and macroeconomic data for direction in the sessions ahead.