GRSE, BEL, Ircon, Waaree, Canara Bank: Retail investors book profits in Q1 as stocks rise

RBL Bank Ltd, Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Ltd (GMDC), Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE), L&T Finance Ltd, The Jammu & Kashmir Bank Ltd and Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) are some of the stocks, where retail investors cut stakes in the June quarter. Most of these stocks delivered solid returns in FY26 so far, suggesting small investors used the rally in many of these names to book profits.  

Ircon International Ltd, Canara Bank, Waaree Energies Ltd, Solar Industries India Ltd, HDFC Bank Ltd and Titan Company Ltd were some of the other BSE500 companies where they reduced stakes in the quarter gone by. These stocks delivered healthy returns so far.  

The quarter was marked by geopolitical tension, volatility in crude prices, interest rate cuts, supply chain disruptions, improving liquidity and unseasonal rainfall. These developments indicate Q1FY26 earnings season is expected to exhibit a mix trend, similar to the patterns observed in previous quarters, said Axis Securities in its results preview note. 

"Most of the earnings-related concerns are now behind us, and the intensity of downgrades is likely to slow down from here onwards. Still market is one or two quarters away from the potential upgrades," it said.

Individuals with less than Rs 2 lakh worth shares cut their holdings in RBL Bank Ltd by 642 basis points to 15.73 per cent in the June quarter from 22.15 per cent in the March quarter, data compiled from AceEquity suggests. Retail holding in GMDC fell 189 basis points to 16.89 per cent in Q1 from 18.78 per cent sequentially. This stock soared 43 per cent in FY26 so far. This is against a 9 per cent rise in the BSE500 index.

GRSE, L&T Finance Ltd, The Jammu & Kashmir Bank Ltd and BEL saw small investors trimming stakes by 183 basis points, 89 basis points, 88 basis points and 88 basis points, respectively. GRSE surged 66.32 per cent in FY26 so far, while L&T Finance, The Jammu & Kashmir Bank and BEL advanced 18-36 per cent. 

Ircon International Ltd, Canara Bank and Varroc Engineering Ltd saw retail selling to the tune of 0.51 percentage points, 0.41 percentage points and 0.37 percentage points, respectively. The three stocks are up 23-30 per cent in FY26 so far.

Retail investors also trimmed stakes in Waaree Energies and Solar Industries India Ltd while the stocks are 29-37 per cent in FY26 so far. 

Out of 57 shareholdings from the BSE500 pack so far, 29 saw cuts in retail holdings, while 27 saw retail buying.