Reza Mahmud :
The stock performance of Beximco Pharmaceuticals, a prominent company in Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical sector, appears to fluctuate in tandem with the changing political landscape, according to market sources.
Data from the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) suggests that the company’s shares surged under the Awami League government but plummeted sharply after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime.
Beximco Pharmaceuticals, owned by influential businessman Salman F Rahman, saw its share prices rise steadily while he served as the Prime Minister’s private industry and investment adviser.
However, following the collapse of the Hasina government, Rahman was arrested while attempting to flee the country, and he now faces jail time and remand.
The impact of this political shift on Beximco Pharma’s stock is
significant.
Economist and Dhaka University Professor Mahbubul Mokaddem, widely known as M.M. Akash, told The New Nation on Saturday, “The data from Beximco Pharma shows that political factors have played a pivotal role in its stock performance.
With Salman F Rahman in jail, investors fear the company may not be profitable in the future, prompting a sell-off that has driven the share price down.”
Attempts to contact Beximco Pharma’s Company Secretary, Mohammad Asad Ullah, for comment were unsuccessful. However, recent stock exchange data shows a dramatic decline in Beximco Pharma’s share price.
The DSE has labelled this drop as extraordinary and has sought clarification from the company.
On July 10, Beximco Pharma’s share price stood at Tk 124.30. By August, following the fall of the Hasina government, the price had plunged to Tk 73.60—a Tk 50.70 decrease within just 27 working days.
This sharp decline prompted the DSE to send an inquiry to Beximco Pharmaceuticals, asking for an explanation. The company responded that it had no undisclosed price-sensitive information that could account for the fall.
Interestingly, just one month prior, Beximco Pharma’s shares had surged from Tk 116.50 to Tk 124 in an equally sharp and abnormal rise.
Sources indicate that the company’s profits had increased significantly during the final months of the Hasina government.
In the first three months of this year, Beximco Pharma reported profits of Tk 137 crore, compared to Tk 91 crore during the same period last year—a 34 percent increase.
The company also reported that its earnings from associated enterprises rose from Tk 955 crore to Tk 1099 crore, a 15 percent year-on-year increase The announcement of these higher earnings led to a hike in Beximco Pharma’s share price. However, the upward trend was short-lived, with shares tumbling following the political upheaval and the arrest of Salman F Rahman.