Bharti Airtel Share Price

Introduction

Airtel is one of the leading global telecommunications companies, headquartered in India. It is the second largest mobile operator in India and among the top 4 mobile operators globally. Airtel recorded consolidated revenues of Rs 1,499,824 crore and a net profit of Rs 85,580 crore in FY 2024. The company has a market capitalization of over $100 billion as of July 2024. Its share price has appreciated by 63.45% over the past year, significantly outperforming market benchmarks.

Company Overview

Bharti Airtel was founded in 1995 as Bharti Tele-Ventures by Sunil Bharti Mittal. It commenced operations in Delhi NCR with the launch of mobile services under the 'Airtel' brand name. The company was renamed Bharti Airtel in 2006.

Major milestones in Airtel's journey include launch of mobile services in Delhi in 1995, rollout of national long-distance operations in 2001, launch of broadband and telephone services in 2005, introduction of 3G in 2010 and 4G in 2012. Airtel entered digital payments with Airtel Money in 2012.

Airtel offers a wide portfolio spanning mobile, fixed line, broadband, DTH, digital TV, enterprise solutions and digital payments. It serves over 490 million customers across 18 countries in South Asia and Africa. Recent developments include 5G launch in India, investments in satellite broadband, network infrastructure and acquisitions to augment spectrum holdings.

Financial Performance

Bharti Airtel has shown consistent revenue growth in the past 5 years as evident from the annual revenue numbers disclosed. Revenues grew from Rs 360,090 crore in FY19 to Rs 1,499,824 crore in FY24. The company has increased net profit over this period as reflected in the jump from Rs 42,260 crore in FY19 to Rs 85,580 crore in FY24.

The mobile services segment in India is a major contributor, with revenues of Rs 243,454 crore and Rs 941,198 crore in Q4FY24 and FY24 respectively.

The Africa mobile operations also account for significant portion of overall sales, with revenues of Rs 92,933 crore and Rs 411,841 crore in Q4FY24 and FY24 respectively. Airtel Business is another key segment, registering revenues of Rs 54,616 crore and Rs 208,209 crore in Q4FY24 and FY24 respectively. EBITDA margins have been in the range of 16-18% in the last few years, as evident from the EBITDA figures disclosed. The company has reduced debt leverage over the years as mentioned in the notes to the financial results.

Stock Performance

Bharti Airtel stock has delivered strong returns over the past year, with the share price appreciating 69.52% from its 52-week low as of July 8th, 2024. The stock has outperformed broader benchmarks like Nifty and Sensex over this period. The price performance shows Bharti Airtel stock trading in a range between Rs 1100-1500 over the past year. Key events like launch of 5G services, tariff hikes, and strong quarterly results have provided uptrends, while broader market corrections have led to intermittent downtrends. The stock hit a 52-week high of Rs 1550 in December 2023 post its 5G launch. Valuations for Bharti Airtel have moderated from higher levels seen in 2021. Its current P/E ratio is 106x (TTM) compared to 125x in Dec 2021, reflecting earnings growth outpacing stock price appreciation. P/B ratio stands at 8.12x, higher than 5-year average of 3.5x, indicating premium valuations.

Bharti Airtel's shareholding pattern shows promoter holding at 53.5%, lower than 55% a year ago. FII holding has increased from 22.7% to 24.4% in the latest quarter, while mutual funds marginally reduced their stake from 11.29% to 11.05%. Overall institutional holding rose from 42.35% to 43.71% over this period. The increase in FII holding indicates their positive outlook on the company's growth prospects.

Growth Drivers

Airtel has significant growth opportunities in 5G services as it rolls out networks across India. Rising smartphone and mobile data usage will also boost revenues. The company aims to expand its subscriber base in Africa and other emerging markets. New digital services like Airtel Xstream for video/content and Airtel IQ for cloud communications provide fresh revenue streams. The enterprise and small business segments also offer growth potential for solutions like cloud, data centers, IoT etc.

Competitive Landscape

• Bharti Airtel is positioned as the second largest telecom operator in India behind Reliance Jio but ahead of Vodafone Idea.
• As per the latest subscriber data, Bharti Airtel has a market share of 32.9% compared to Jio's 39.5% and Vi's 19.4%.
• Airtel is gaining market share from Vodafone Idea as customers port their numbers to Airtel's 4G network and now 5G as well.
• Both Airtel and Jio are competing aggressively for Vi's subscribers who want to shift to 5G networks. This is increasing sales, marketing and customer acquisition costs.
• Jio's wider 5G rollout poses a challenge for Airtel to catch up on coverage expansion. However, Airtel has launched 5G in major metros to combat Jio's rollout.
• Rising data demand and increase in ARPU provides growth opportunities for Airtel to gain higher revenue market share. Enterprise, digital services and bundling offers are other avenues for subscriber additions.