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Meet the Top 5 Succesful Investors in India!

The Indian stock market has evolved into one of the most dynamic business environments, with all parties involved sharing the same hopes and aspirations. The way it operates and reaps losses & gains has always always been a site of great interest for all budding investors. In fact, the market capitalisation of all listed firms on BSE hit a new record high of ₹280.5 lakh crore this August!

With the proper strategy and tactics, a ₹10,000 investment per month can turn into a portfolio worth crores over a few years. 

The above statement might seem unbelievable or absurd, but superstar investors like Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, Vijay Kedia, and R.K. Damani have truly turned the tide and have created phenomenal fortunes from the market. 

In today’s article, we will highlight some of the most successful stock market investors in India, in addition to their overall merits and investment strategies!

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala 

  • The late Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, known as the Warren Buffet of India, was admired as a market god. He mastered the art of beating the markets consistently.
  • This billionaire business magnate started investing with merely ₹5,000 in 1985.
  • In 1999, he launched Hungama Digital Media with four other partners. As of 2021, Hungama Music and Hungama Play are available in the OTT market.
  • He held several positions of authority as the chairman and a member of the board of directors of numerous reputable firms.
  • His Titan holdings alone are valued at ₹11,000 crore as of 2022. 
  • Rakesh Jhunjhunwala & Associates (Rare Enterprises) publicly hold 30 stocks with a net worth of over ₹34,320.2 crore.
  • Jhunjhunwala invested $35 million in 2021 for a nearly 40% stake in Akasa Air. He was the co-founder of this new ultra-low-cost Indian airline. 
StocksHolding Value (in ₹ crore)Shareholding (%)
Titan Company Ltd1,3047.105.5
Star Health & Allied Insurance Company Ltd6,982.8017.4
Metro Brands Ltd3,130.5014.4
Tata Motors Ltd1,556.401.1
Crisil Ltd1,193.405.5
(Source: Trendlyne. Holdings as of Q2 FY23)

Radhakishan Damani

  • Radhakishan Shivkishan Damani is a billionaire investor hailing from Bikaner, Rajasthan. He is also the founder of Avenue Supermarts, which operates the DMart chain of supermarkets.
  • He is an astute investor in the Indian stock market with 13 stocks and a portfolio net worth running up to ₹185,782.4 crore. 
  • He manages his portfolio through his investment firm called Bright Star Investments Ltd.
  • In 2022, he was ranked the 98th richest person in the world.
  • His prudence as an investor is evident in the way his stocks have grown over the years. In the previous year, the value of his stocks increased from ₹157.65 crores to ₹322.65 crores.
  • This doubling occurred right after the Russia-Ukraine war when the Indian stock market was at its lowest point. 
  • As per Forbes, Damani has held stakes in an array of businesses, including the 156-room Radisson Blu Resort in Alibag, tobacco firm VST Industries, beer maker United Breweries, and others like India Cements, Sundaram Finance, Blue Dart, and Spencer’s Retail.
StocksHolding Value (in ₹ crore)Shareholding (%)
Avenue Supermarts Ltd1,80,592.5067.5
VST Industries Ltd1,760.4032.3
India Cements Ltd1,566.8020.8
Trent Ltd769.301.5
Sundaram Finance Ltd610.702.4
(Source: Trendlyne. Holdings as of Q2 FY23)

Mohnish Pabrai

  • An ardent follower of Warren Buffet, Mohnish Pabrai is an Indian-American investor.
  • He founded an investment firm named Pabrai Investment Funds in 1999.
  • His firm has generated a staggering 517% return till now.
  • The focus of Pabrai’s investing strategies is considered to be on low-risk, high-certainty stocks, and well-managed businesses with minimal downsides.
  • Mohnish Pabrai publicly holds 3 stocks with a net worth of over ₹1,260.3 crore.
  • With the goal of giving back to society, Monish Pabrai and his wife started the Dakshana Foundation. It helps poor students from rural and semi-urban government schools to crack competitive exams.
StocksHolding Value (in ₹ crore)Shareholding (%)
Rain Industries Ltd517.608.8
Sunteck Realty Ltd379.706.7
Edelweiss Financial Services Ltd3636.4
(Source: Trendlyne. Holdings as of Q2 FY23)

Vijay Kedia 

  • Popularly known as the “Market Master”, Vijay Kishanlal Kedia is an Indian investor hailing from Kolkata.
  • He has been in the market since he was 19 years old. 
  • The commonly used acronym SMILE, which stands for Small in size, Medium in experience, Large in aspiration, and Extra-large in market potential, refers to Kedia’s investment strategy. 
  • As per the latest corporate filings, Vijay Kedia publicly holds 16 stocks with a net worth of over ₹765.9 crore.
  • He invests only after doing a deep study of the management of the respective company and how it functions. 
  • Kedia believes that in order to reap greater rewards, it is crucial to wait and invest for a long period. 
  • From 2000 to 2022, some of his shares have grown by over 47,150%, which shows the vision with which he invests in every stock. 
StocksHolding Value (in ₹ crore)Shareholding (%)
Tejas Networks Ltd246.102.6
Vaibhav Global Ltd103.302
Elecon Engineering Company Ltd97.401.9
Cera Sanitaryware Ltd72.201
Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd55.501
(Source: Trendlyne. Holdings as of Q2 FY23)

Ashish Kacholia

  • Ashish Kacholia is one of the most prudent investors in the Indian stock market and has built a reputation for being the “whiz-kid” of stocks.
  • The media refers to Kacholia as the “Big Whale”. He began his career with Prime Securities and Edelweiss. Kacholia established his own broking firm, Lucky Investment Managers, in 1995.
  • His investment strategy includes investing in small and mid-size companies.
  • In 1999, he co-founded Hungama Digital (along with Rakesh Jhunjhunwala) and began assembling his portfolio in 2003.
  • Ashish Kacholia publicly holds 41 stocks with a net worth of over ₹1,900.3 crore.
  • Recently, he bought a multi-bagger stock named Best Agrolife that has had a 6000% increase in just five years!
StocksHolding Value (in ₹ crore)Shareholding (%)
Safari Industries (India) Ltd1152.6
Fineotex Chemical Ltd97.202.6
Shaily Engineering Plastics Ltd96.906.5
NIIT Ltd91.202.2
PCBL Ltd91.101.9
(Source: Trendlyne. Holdings as of Q2 FY23)

The stock market is a volatile platform that can swing in either direction at any time. It is not the place to make a rash, uninformed choice. Many people keep a close eye on prominent investors, their investment strategies, and the performance of each stock they own. The methods used by these investors to profit from the equity market provide immense inspiration to aspiring investors.

The tales of wealthy investors convey many vital messages. First and foremost, it’s critical to have a solid investing plan built on thorough observation, and secondly, diversification is key. It is also important to acknowledge the possibility of losses. Keeping that in mind, there is absolutely no doubt that the Indian equity market is a fantastic sector to learn, grow and develop. 

Happy Investing!

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Editorial

The Success Story of Vijay Kedia

India has its fair share of inspirational and highly successful stock market investors. One such ace investor is Vijay Kedia, who has developed unique skills and expertise to pick stocks over his 30-year career. Kedia and his investment firm, Kedia Securities Pvt Ltd, are the largest shareholders of several listed companies in India. His success story can be a motivation for all aspiring investors out there. In today’s article, learn more about Dr. Vijay Kishanlal Kedia and his journey in the stock market so far.

Vijay Kedia – A Brief Profile

Kedia was born into a family of stockbrokers based in Kolkata. He is part of the Marwari community, an ethnic group well-known for its strong business acumen. At the age of just 14, he started to develop a passion for trading and learnt several strategies from his grandfather. Kedia joined his family’s stockbroking business after his father passed away. He was 19 at the time. However, he was never really interested in stockbroking and thus, decided to leave the business after working for three years. He began to focus on his trading career.  

Initially, Kedia was able to make sufficient profits from several trades. He built the confidence to increase his capital gradually. Unfortunately, he started incurring huge losses that ultimately ate up all realized profits and some part of his capital. Highly relatable, right? After analysing the mistakes he made, Kedia decided to make a transition towards investing. This would turn out to be one of the most important decisions in his life. He began to learn the different concepts behind fundamental analysis and growth investing. Around the same period, he moved to Mumbai to try his luck in conquering Dalal Street.

Since the early 1990s, Vijay Kedia had developed the ability to identify numerous multi-bagger stocks. In 1992-93, he bought ACC shares at Rs 300 per share and sold them at ~Rs 3,000/share within a year and a half. Similarly, Atul Auto, Aegis Logistics, and Cera Sanitaryware are some of the stocks that gave him a return of over 1,000% each within 10-12 years. He could analyse and pick a stock way before the market realised its true potential. In 2012, Kedia rightly predicted the beginning of the structural bull run in India, at a time when most analysts were bearish. The Economic Times has described him as a “market master”.

As per corporate shareholdings filed for June 30, 2021 (Q1 FY22), Vijay Kedia and his firm publicly hold 16 stocks with a net worth of over Rs 810.6 crore.

Vijay Kedia’s shareholdings as of June 30, 2021 (Source: Trendlyne)

Important Lessons from Vijay Kedia’s Life & Career 

Vijay Kedia’s initial losses or failures in his trading days are what drove him to become one of the most successful investors in India. He was able to learn from his mistakes, as well as observe the success and failures of those in the same field. He keeps himself updated by reading newspapers, business magazines, and annual reports of listed companies. Kedia often watches interviews of CEOs and managers to frame an idea about a firm’s future plans and growth targets.

To become a successful investor, Kedia says one must acquire the knowledge to search for the best stocks and have the courage to purchase them at a sufficient cost. Most importantly, one must develop the patience to hold stocks until the market finds its real value. “Invest like a bull, sit like a bear, and watch like an eagle (mantra for long-term investing)”.

Kedia adheres to the SMILE principle of investing, which refers to Small in size (small-medium market cap), Medium in management experience, Large in Aspiration, and Extra-large in market potential. He has time and again emphasized the importance of a strong management team while selecting a stock to invest in. He believes that the best businesses can be ruined by bad management and bad businesses can be revived by the best management. An experienced team will protect your investment in order to safeguard their own wealth and reputation. Investors must carefully analyse the future projection of a company, and check whether its management is ambitious towards achieving its goals. 

Here is an inspiring quote from Vijay Kedia. “One must understand that the stock market is a ‘high risk-high gain’ business. It is a full-time business which has its own rules which need to be strictly followed. One has to fall in love with the market. The market rewards you as per your perception of it. If you treat it as a gambling den, it will prove a gamble for you”.