The foreign institutional investors (FIIs) have been net sellers in the Indian equity markets since 2025 and they have continued with the trend in 2026 as well.
The FIIs sold shares worth ₹1,66,286 crore in 2025, the highest quantum of selling by FIIs in a calendar year on record, data from the National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) showed.
Since start of 2026, the FIIs have offloaded shares worth ₹1,75,875 crore and in the last quarter of previous financial year (Q4FY26) they sold stocks worth ₹1,31,122 crore, as per data from the NSDL.
Despite heavy selling by FIIs, they remained net buyers in 18 companies in the NIFTY 500 index in March quarter, according to data compiled by Ace Equity.
FIIs increasing stake in a company is generally seen by market participants as a strong signal as FIIs include large global entities such as hedge funds, pension funds and sovereign wealth funds that have access to deep research and analysis about a company, analysts said.
Rising FII ownership indicates high investor confidence. These investors typically put money into companies only after evaluating factors like management quality, financial performance and long-term growth potential, analysts added.
Here are top companies in which FIIs raised stake in March quarter:
Aditya Birla Capital has seen FIIs raise their stake in the company to 7.02% at the end of March quarter compare with 5.15% stake they had at the end of December quarter.
Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation saw FIIs aggressively increase their stake in the company by 63% to 3.76% from 2.3% in the previous quarter.
HEG, the country's leading maker graphite electrodes, has seen FIIs increase stake in the company to 10.23% at the end of March quarter compared with 8.53% stake they held in the company at the end of December quarter.
Mangalore Refinery And Petrochemicals, the country's leading oil refinery, saw FIIs raise stake in the company by 66% to 3.41% at the end of March quarter as against 2.05% stake they held in December quarter.
| Company | FII stake in Q4 (%) | FII stake in Q3 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Aditya Birla Capital | 7.02 | 5.15 |
| Bank Of India | 7.26 | 5.82 |
| Bharat Heavy Electricals | 7.23 | 6.28 |
| Can Fin Homes | 13.37 | 13.24 |
| Capri Global Capital Ltd. | 5.62 | 4.50 |
| Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers | 3.51 | 2.96 |
| Granules India | 15.31 | 13.55 |
| Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation | 3.76 | 2.30 |
| HEG | 10.23 | 8.53 |
| Indian Bank | 5.82 | 5.64 |
| Indian Overseas Bank | 0.43 | 0.35 |
| Jaiprakash Power Ventures | 6.58 | 6.51 |
| Mangalore Refinery And Petrochemicals | 3.41 | 2.05 |
| MMTC | 0.13 | 0.02 |
| Samvardhana Motherson | 12.45 | 11.75 |
| SJVN | 2.75 | 2.69 |
| Swan Corp | 10.41 | 9.70 |
| Transformers & Rectifiers | 8.33 | 7.01 |
Source: Ace Equity
State-run MMTC also saw FIIs increase their stake in the company to 0.13% as against 0.02% stake in the previous quarter.
Disclaimer: This article is purely for informational purposes and should not be considered investment advice from Upstox. Please consult with a financial advisor before making any investment decisions.