Bharti Airtel Ltd.
NSE: BHARTIARTLBharti Airtel Ltd.: A 30-second snapshot
Bharti Airtel (₹1,910.8) is the largest listed telecom operator in the peer set by quality score rank and trails only Indus Towers on that metric among covered names. The stock trades above its 50-DMA (₹1,844) but below its 200-DMA (₹1,952), with a 1-year price gain of +3.88% and a 52-week drawdown of -12.1%. Structurally, debt-to-equity of 99.7 is flat over 5 years, while revenue has compounded at 15.7% annually even as 5-year cumulative earnings growth is -34%.
P/E
43.0
Forward P/E
23.1
ROE
+19.4%
Debt / Equity
99.72
Profit Margin
+12.7%
Div. Yield
+0.8%
5Y ROE > 15%
2/5
5Y FCF > 0
4/5
Quality
51/100
News
8 headlines · 2 positive · 1 negative
Bharti Airtel share price: What CLSA says on Airtel Money IPO; sees 27% upside - Business Today
Business Today
Bharti Airtel Q4 Results 2026 - Find Bharti Airtel Q4 Earnings Result | BHARTIARTL Q4 results - Mint
Mint
Bharti Airtel Q2 Results 2026 - Find Bharti Airtel Q2 Earnings Result | BHARTIARTL Q2 results - Mint
Mint
Bharti Airtel Limited Announces Resignation of Siddharth Sharma, CEO - Connected Homes and Director of Marketing, Effective July 19, 2026 - marketscreener.com
marketscreener.com
Airtel Expands 5G Network Footprint; Adds Over 2,900 New 5G Sites Across North India - HDFC Sky
HDFC Sky
Recent context
- ·CLSA issued commentary projecting a 27% upside scenario tied to an Airtel Money IPO, making it the most prominent named-broker view in recent news flow (June 5, 2026).
- ·Airtel added over 2,900 new 5G sites across North India (June 10, 2026), continuing its network densification programme that underpins the long-term revenue growth thesis.
- ·Siddharth Sharma, CEO Connected Homes and Director of Marketing, announced his resignation effective July 19, 2026 (June 18, 2026); Q4 FY2026 results coverage was neutral in tone across Mint and other outlets.
Strengths
- +Revenue has compounded at 15.7% annually over 5 years, placing Airtel among the growth leaders in a capital-intensive sector where pricing power and spectrum scale drive top-line gains.
- +FCF was positive in 4 of 5 tracked years, demonstrating recurring ability to generate cash from operations despite high capital expenditure associated with 5G network expansion.
- +Current ROE of 19.36% exceeds the 15% threshold that historically distinguishes capital-efficient operators; profit margin of 12.65% has been sustained on a significantly expanded revenue base.
- +Analyst coverage is broad at 32 analysts with a mean rating of 1.5625 on a 1–5 scale (lower = more constructive), and the forward PE of 23.1 represents a notable compression from the trailing PE of 43.0.
Weaknesses
- −D/E of 99.7 is structurally elevated for a non-bank sector company and has shown no improvement over 5 years, leaving the balance sheet exposed to interest-rate and refinancing risk.
- −5-year earnings growth of -34% despite 15.7% revenue growth indicates that capex intensity and financing costs have systematically absorbed revenue gains before reaching net income; the earnings recovery implied by the trailing-to-forward PE gap remains undemonstrated in reported history.
- −The stock has traded below its 200-DMA (₹1,952.1) and a recovery above that level has not been sustained; the 1-year price appreciation of +3.88% is materially below the benchmark Nifty 50 return for the same period.
- −Quality score of 32 ranks 4th of 6 telecom peers, and ROE exceeded 15% in only 2 of available historical years, reflecting an uneven return-on-capital track record relative to sector peers such as Indus Towers (ROE 19.81%) and Bharti Hexacom (ROE 26.47%).
Open questions
- ?Does the compression from a trailing PE of 43.0 to a forward PE of 23.1 reflect a structural improvement in earnings conversion, or does it depend on one-time items and accounting assumptions that may not recur?
- ?Given that D/E has remained flat at approximately 99.7 over 5 years despite positive FCF in 4 of those years, what specific capital allocation priorities (spectrum auctions, 5G capex, fibre rollout) explain the absence of deleveraging — and how does the planned capex trajectory compare to free cash flow projections?
- ?How does the Airtel Money IPO timeline and valuation range affect the consolidated balance sheet and minority interest structure, and what is the expected impact on reported EPS post-demerger?
- ?Is the 5G network expansion (2,900+ sites added in North India alone) translating into measurable ARPU improvement, or is subscriber growth currently compressing per-user economics?
Peer comparison: Telecom
Ranks 3 of 6 on quality| Symbol | Name | P/E | ROE | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BHARTIARTL | Bharti Airtel Ltd.You're viewing | 43.0 | +19.4% | 32 |
| Industry avg | across 5 peers | 43.1 | +21.2% | 34 |
| INDUSTOWER | Indus Towers Ltd. | 15.2 | +19.8% | 64 |
| IDEA | Vodafone Idea Ltd. | 4.6 | — | 41 |
| BHARTIHEXA | Bharti Hexacom Ltd. | 43.0 | +26.5% | 30 |
| HFCL | HFCL Ltd. | 97.9 | +7.3% | 29 |
| TATACOMM | Tata Communications Ltd. | 54.7 | +31.1% | 5 |
Technical state
Current price
₹1,910.80
SMA 50
₹1,844.01
SMA 200
₹1,952.08
RSI (14)
64.1 (neutral)
From 52w high
-12.1%
1Y return
+3.9%
3M return
+4.6%
50-DMA
Above
200-DMA
Below
Algorithmic support levels
Algorithmic resistance levels
Risk flags
- highDebt-to-equity of 99.7 is structurally elevated for a non-bank sector stock; D/E trend has been flat over 5 years, and FCF was positive in only 4 of 5 tracked years, indicating internally generated cash has not reduced leverage materially.
- high5-year earnings growth of -34% against 5-year revenue growth of +15.7% signals that capex intensity and financing costs have consumed revenue gains before reaching the bottom line; trailing profit margin stands at 12.65% with ROE above 15% in only 2 of tracked historical years.
- mediumPrice at ₹1,910.8 remains below the 200-DMA (₹1,952.1), having been unable to reclaim that level; 52-week drawdown is -12.1% and 1-year price change is +3.88%, significantly below typical equity return expectations.
- mediumQuality score of 32 ranks 4th of 6 telecom peers; ROE of 19.36% exceeds 15% in the current year but achieved that threshold in only 2 of available historical years, reflecting an uneven return-on-capital history.
- lowNews sample is limited to 8 articles (2 positive, 5 neutral, 1 negative); a senior leadership departure — Siddharth Sharma, CEO Connected Homes and Director of Marketing, effective July 19, 2026 — was the sole negative headline in the set.
Cross-section contradictions
- Trailing PE of 43.0 compresses to a forward PE of 23.1, implying a meaningful earnings recovery already priced in by analysts; however, 5-year historical earnings growth of -34% and ROE above 15% in only 2 of tracked years means the anticipated recovery is undemonstrated in recent reported history.
- FCF was positive in 4 of 5 tracked years — indicating recurring operational cash generation — yet D/E remains at 99.7 on a flat 5-year trend, suggesting that operating cash flows have been directed toward capex or debt service rather than net leverage reduction.
For informational purposes only. Not investment advice. VivaTrades is not a SEBI-registered Investment Adviser or Research Analyst. Market data sourced from public feeds; consult a registered adviser before any investment decision.
Fundamentals & technicals: refreshed 25 Jun 2026 · refreshed daily at 01:00 IST
AI synthesis (narrative, snapshot, strengths/weaknesses, peer ranking): generated 21 Jun 2026 · rotates through NIFTY 500 every ~5 days