
Shares of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) rallied as much as 6% to the day’s high of Rs 298 on the BSE on Tuesday after Hong Kong-based brokerage CLSA termed the government’s latest move to cut upstream royalty rates a “big positive” for the state-run explorer and the broader upstream oil and gas sector.
In a surprise decision, the government reduced the royalty charged on crude oil and natural gas production, a move CLSA said could increase the fair value of ONGC by 7-9% and that of Oil India by 9-11%. As a result, Oil India shares also gained 7.5% to trade at a day’s high of Rs 491.