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Unravelling ace investor Radhakishan Damani’s interest in debt-ridden logistics major, Gati

Photo: Soumik Kar; Imaging: Kishore Das

On December 31, 2013, even as Mumbai resounded to the sound of late night partying and the BSE remained shut, legendary investor Radhakishan Damani was turning his eagle eye to an unexpected target, picking up four million shares at an average ₹43 a share for a 4.6% stake in logistics and surface express major Gati. Damani, arguably one of India’s best value investors, has an enviable track record of making the right calls. Granted, this wasn’t his only move in the logistics sector over the new year — through his investment companies Brightstar Investments and Derive Investments, Damani also picked up over 2.5 million shares for a 3.5% stake in Transport Corporation of India (incidentally, Gati was carved out of TCI in 1989) — but why Gati? After all, the stock has been facing heavy weather for some time as a protracted recession and diminishing export import trade has put a lid on its growth.