SoftBank-backed Lenskart wobbles after volatile debut despite oversubscribed IPO
On Sunday, November 9, 2025, a Lenskart Solutions Ltd. in Mumbai, India. store.
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Shares of SoftBank-backed eyewear retailer Lenskart Solutions got off to a weak start on Monday, falling as much as 11% below their issue price before rebounding in early trading.
Lenskart Its shares were trading at 402.2 Indian rupees ($4.53), up 0.05% from its last IPO price of 402 rupees.
Warm start contrasts with home service start Urban CompanyThe September blockbuster was up over 60% on its debut.
Lenskart’s $828 million IPO was among India’s most anticipated IPOs this year, attracting bids of more than 28 times the shares on offer. While institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals have driven demand, retail interest has been relatively muted.
Softbank-backed Lenskart IPO received lukewarm response from investors
Many smaller investors seek short-term gains by “hopping from one IPO to the next,” Bhavesh Shah, head of investment banking at Equirus Capital, told CNBC. He added that this volatility from one IPO to another creates selling pressure on listing day.
A study by Indian market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India found that 54% of IPO shares allocated to investors (excluding anchor investors) were sold within a week. Between April 2021 and December 2024, retail investors sold 50% of their allocated shares by value within a week of listing and 70% of shares by value within one year. to work clarified.
Valuing vision?
Lenskart’s IPO was a hotly debated topic on social media in India last week; Some analysts argued that this issue “overvalued” the company.
“IPO price added value to Lenkart [price–earnings ratio] over 200, and even then most of the company’s earnings [the financial year] 25 were from non-core business activities, said Devina Mehra, founder of investment firm First Global.
Others defended the growth prospects of one of India’s most established startups. Investment banker Sarthak Ahuja emphasized this in his social media post: several notable institutional investors joined early In Lenskart’s offer.
The largest institutional investors in the Lenskart IPO include the Government of Singapore (2.97%) and global investors such as BlackRock and Fidelity, which bought shares through multiple funds.
