Indian equity benchmarks remained subdued by midday on Wednesday, August 26, with the Nifty hovering near 24,280, down about 0.21%, while the BSE Sensex was hovering around 77,690, marginally higher by about 0.04%.

Adani Green Energy gained on a fresh transmission order, Hindustan Copper recovered as retail bidding opened for the government’s OFS, PSU banks advanced on broad-based buying, while Varun Beverages declined after announcing its entry into alcoholic beverages.

Several stocks also moved sharply following block deals and lower crude oil prices. Here are the top movers and shakers at this hour:

Adani Energy Solutions share price was up 0.79% by midday after the company secured a Rs 4,700 crore transmission project in Maharashtra through competitive bidding. The project will support renewable energy evacuation from Karnataka and pumped storage capacity near Satara, while adding 562 circuit kilometres of transmission lines and 9,000 MVA of transformation capacity.

The company said the project would be completed within 36 months, taking its transmission order book to about Rs 85,000 crore.

Stock price of Hindustan Copper gained 3.59% by midday as retail bidding opened for the government’s OFS after institutional buyers oversubscribed their portion by 3.41 times.

The government is selling up to a 6% stake, including the green shoe option, at a floor price of Rs 514 per share, while record copper prices in international markets also kept the state-owned producer in focus.

PSU bank stocks recorded broad gains by midday, with Bank of Maharashtra up 6.4%, Indian Bank up 3%, Union Bank of India up 2.8%, Bank of India up 2.7%, Punjab & Sind Bank up 2.2%, Bank of Baroda up 2%, Canara Bank up 1.6% and State Bank of India up 1.3%.

The buying pushed the Nifty PSU Bank index higher as banking stocks found support from expectations of improving margins amid lower crude prices and a relatively steady domestic market.

Varun Beverages share price declined 3% by midday after the company announced plans to enter the ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages business through a proposed wholly owned subsidiary, KIVA Spirits and Company.

The PepsiCo bottler has appointed Prathmesh Mishra, formerly Managing Director for Korea and Japan at Diageo, to lead the proposed business, while it also plans a joint venture in Tunisia for beverage production and distribution.

The share price of Welspun Corp fell 5.94% by midday after 63 lakh shares worth Rs 1,433.44 crore changed hands in the morning block deal window. Reports had indicated that promoter group entity Welspun Investments and Commercials and MD & CEO Vipul Mathur were looking to sell about 2.4% of the company’s equity through the transaction.

Oil-linked stocks moved higher by midday as crude prices extended their decline for a third consecutive session. BPCL gained 2.5%, Adani Total Gas Ltd. and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. rose 2.2% each, Mahanagar Gas Ltd. and Indian Oil added 1.5% each, while Asian Paints Ltd. gained 1.4%.

Petronet LNG, Aegis Logistics Ltd. and InterGlobe Aviation were up 1.1% each, as lower crude prices improved the cost outlook for oil marketing, aviation and paint companies.