HDFC Bank bonus shares: What Rs 15,00,000 crore giant’s 36 lakh investors should know

India’s second-most value firm by market capitalitsaion, HDFC Bank, will be announcing its maiden bonus issue today, July 19. Along with bonus shares, the private lender also intends to declare a special interim dividend, weeks after listing of its non-banking financial company subsidiary, HDB Financial Services. 

Who will gain?
If announced, a total of 36,01,460 small individual investors, with up to Rs 2 lakh worth shares, will be benefit from the announcements and so would 698 MF schemes, insurance companies led by LIC, and FPIs including Vanguard and government of Singapore. Meanwhile, 32,436 NRIs would also benefit from the announcements.  
HDFC Bank settled at Rs 1,957.40 on Friday and commanded an m-cap of Rs 15,00,917 crore. 

Banks & bonus shares 
There are at least 13 instances when banks and small finance banks (SFBs) declared bonus shares in the past. They included The Karnataka Bank Ltd (2020),  Karur Vysya Bank (2018), City Union Bank Ltd (2018), ICICI Bank (2017), and Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Ltd (2016). The Federal Bank Ltd (2015), Kotak Mahindra Bank (2015), Capital Small Finance Bank (2014), The South Indian Bank (2008), IDBI Bank (2001) and Punjab National Bank (1983) also declared dividends in the last. 

Among small finance banks, AU Small Finance Bank Ltd declared bonus in 2022, Jana Small Finance Bank Ltd in 2017 and Capital Small Finance Bank Ltd in 2014.
 

HDFC Bank bonus issue & 2025
If announced, the HDFC Bank’s bonus issue would mark the 148th instance of a company declaring bonus shares on the BSE in 2025 so far. In July, 16 companies have turned ex-date for bonus issues, according to data from corporate database AceEquity. These include Motherson Sumi Wiring India Ltd (1:2), Samvardhana Motherson International Ltd (1:2), Ashok Leyland Ltd (1:1), Roto Pumps Ltd (2:1), Sharda Motor Industries Ltd (1:1), and Container Corporation of India Ltd (1:4). Jonjua Overseas Ltd and Focus Business Solution Ltd have record dates scheduled for July 28 and July 21, respectively.

So far in 2025, 147 companies have announced bonus issues. This compares with 612 stocks that turned ex-dividend in 2024, 483 in 2023, and 402 in 2022.

Among notable ex-bonus cases this year, Bajaj Finance Ltd (4:1) and V-Mart Retail Ltd (3:1) turned ex-bonus in June; BSE Ltd (2:1) in May; Navkar Urbanstructure Ltd (3:2) in April; and Anand Rathi Wealth Ltd and Greenlam Industries Ltd in March. Other names such as Indraprastha Gas Ltd, KPI Green Energy Ltd, Orient Cables (India) Ltd, and Surya Roshni Ltd have also gone ex-bonus in 2025.