Vodacom (VOD) is South Africa's largest airtime and data provider for cell phones. It is a subsidiary of the international company Vodafone. Its competitors are MTN, Cell-C, and Telkom. The cell phone industry has been hammered by a steady decline in voice revenue which has to some extent been compensated by a sharp rise in data usage.
The disadvantage which Vodacom has as an investment is that a foreign parent owns it. This was graphically demonstrated when its share price fell 7% in two days because it was feared that its parent company would be pressured to sell off its non-European subsidiaries. Vodacom has businesses in Mozambique, Tanzania, the DRC, and Lesotho. Now the group is looking to develop a business in Africa's fastest-growing economy, Ethiopia, with a population of 105 million.
On 2nd December 2019, the Competition Commission ruled that Vodacom and MTN had to cut their interconnect fees by between 30% and 50%. Much of Vodacom's revenue comes from interconnect fees and it saw its share price drop by 5%. The company is launching a "super-app" in conjunction with Jack Ma's Alipay to boost its non-voice revenue.
On 10th November 2021, the company announced that it was entering into a new venture called "Infraco" with Remgro in which it would own 30% potentially rising to 40%. This venture will incorporate Remgro's Dark Fiber Africa (DFA) and Vumatel and Vodacom will inject R9bn in cash. The idea is to dominate the fibre business in South Africa. It has also spent R4bn to mitigate the impact of loadshedding.
We believe that this share will perform well, but may take some time to reach former heights. In its results for the year to 31st March 2024, the company reported revenue up 26,4% and headline earnings per share (HEPS) down 10,8%. The company said, "Our acquisition of Egypt contributed significantly to the 29.1% increase in Group service revenue, supported by a resilient performance in our largest market, South Africa. A 6.4% increase in net profit showcased the robustness of our strategy and our execution track-record of adapting to changes in our operating environments, despite elevated global economic pressures."
In a trading update for the 3 months to 30th June 2024, the company reported group revenue up 1,5% in constant currencies and 10% in normalised terms. Egypt grew service revenue by 43,7% in local currency and financial services revenue by 87%. The company said, "We now process US$400 billion in mobile wallet transaction value annually."
Technically, the share has been falling since its high of 16214c on 1st April 2022 and we suggest waiting for a clear break up through its downward trendline which may now be happening. It looks cheap at current levels with a dividend yield (DY) of around 4,96% - but it is in an environment where the technology and regulation shift continuously making it risky.
The disadvantage which Vodacom has as an investment is that a foreign parent owns it. This was graphically demonstrated when its share price fell 7% in two days because it was feared that its parent company would be pressured to sell off its non-European subsidiaries. Vodacom has businesses in Mozambique, Tanzania, the DRC, and Lesotho. Now the group is looking to develop a business in Africa's fastest-growing economy, Ethiopia, with a population of 105 million.
On 2nd December 2019, the Competition Commission ruled that Vodacom and MTN had to cut their interconnect fees by between 30% and 50%. Much of Vodacom's revenue comes from interconnect fees and it saw its share price drop by 5%. The company is launching a "super-app" in conjunction with Jack Ma's Alipay to boost its non-voice revenue.
On 10th November 2021, the company announced that it was entering into a new venture called "Infraco" with Remgro in which it would own 30% potentially rising to 40%. This venture will incorporate Remgro's Dark Fiber Africa (DFA) and Vumatel and Vodacom will inject R9bn in cash. The idea is to dominate the fibre business in South Africa. It has also spent R4bn to mitigate the impact of loadshedding.
We believe that this share will perform well, but may take some time to reach former heights. In its results for the year to 31st March 2024, the company reported revenue up 26,4% and headline earnings per share (HEPS) down 10,8%. The company said, "Our acquisition of Egypt contributed significantly to the 29.1% increase in Group service revenue, supported by a resilient performance in our largest market, South Africa. A 6.4% increase in net profit showcased the robustness of our strategy and our execution track-record of adapting to changes in our operating environments, despite elevated global economic pressures."
In a trading update for the 3 months to 30th June 2024, the company reported group revenue up 1,5% in constant currencies and 10% in normalised terms. Egypt grew service revenue by 43,7% in local currency and financial services revenue by 87%. The company said, "We now process US$400 billion in mobile wallet transaction value annually."
Technically, the share has been falling since its high of 16214c on 1st April 2022 and we suggest waiting for a clear break up through its downward trendline which may now be happening. It looks cheap at current levels with a dividend yield (DY) of around 4,96% - but it is in an environment where the technology and regulation shift continuously making it risky.
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Disclaimer
The information and publications are not meant to be, and do not constitute, financial, investment, trading, or other types of advice or recommendations supplied or endorsed by TradingView. Read more in the Terms of Use.