Zee share price further crashed by more than 30%. This positive momentum followed a significant 33% decline in the preceding session. Zee share price reached a peak increase of 7.82%, reaching ₹168.10 per share on the BSE.
On January 23, the share price of Zee Entertainment Enterprises experienced a sharp 33% decline, closing at ₹155.90 on the BSE. This substantial drop was triggered by the termination of the merger deal with Sony, which unsettled investors and raised concerns about Zee’s future growth prospects and the overall valuation of its stock.
Sony concluded its merger agreement, insisting on a termination fee of $90 million. In just one day, Zee share price witnessed a market capitalization reduction of over ₹7,000 crore.
On Tuesday, approximately 240 million equity shares of Zee Entertainment Enterprises were exchanged, out of which 100 million shares were delivered. The one-week average trading volume for Zee shares stands at 80 million.
The termination of the Zee-Sony merger is anticipated to lead to a significant de-rating of the valuation multiple for Zee, according to analysts. This development is expected to impose a financial strain on Zee due to termination charges and introduce uncertainty regarding the payout related to ICC rights, thereby placing its sports aspirations on hold.
Analysts note that Zee is currently grappling with operational challenges, including subdued advertising business, declining viewership share in key markets such as Hindi GEC, Tamil, and Marathi markets. The competitive pricing in the subscription business and the slow growth of the OTT business, coupled with competition from industry giants, further contribute to the company’s challenges. As a result, the stock experienced a sharp decline recently and may witness some buying activity after a further decline. Ashwin Patil, Senior Research Analyst at LKP Securities, highlighted these factors contributing to the recent free fall in the stock.
It also faces increased competition in the media sector, particularly with the reported merger of Reliance and Disney Star.
“With the termination of the Zee-Sony merger, we anticipate that Zee’s PE (price-to-earnings ratio) will regress to the levels of 12 times observed prior to the Sony merger announcement in August 2021,” stated CLSA.
Zee Entertainment shares have experienced a decline of more than 32% in a week, and the stock is down over 38% in a month. Over the past year, Zee shares have witnessed a drop of more than 25%.
As of 9:50 am, Zee shares were trading 4.81% higher at ₹163.40 each on the BSE.
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