Buy Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel
Research: HSBC
Rating: Buy
CMP: Rs 915
Bharti Airtel is one of HSBC’s preferred picks in the telecom sector because it believes the stock offers low risk exposure to the domestic wireless sector at attractive valuations. Bharti Airtel, with low operating and financial leverage, offers the best earnings visibility vis-à-vis other domestic telecom companies and trades at FY09E P/E of 18.6x. The current estimates for Bharti Airtel factor in the potential combination of high subscriber growth, low subscriber quality and high capital expenditure (capex). Unlike its peers, for whom EBITDA is likely to be subdued given the new rollouts, Bharti Airtel will continue to benefit from scale through its rising subscriber base. The creation of Indus (tower JV) is a significant catalyst as it allows Bharti Airtel to benefit from lower capex and deeper coverage, while offsetting spectrum constraints and monetising its tower assets. HSBC remains bullish on Bharti Airtel’s earnings outlook and forecasts a 25.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in earnings per share (EPS) for FY08-10E. This view is based on robust subscriber growth, recent initiatives to stimulate usage and stable EBITDA margins.
