VOD.L - Vodafone Group Plc
| Previous close | 143.58 |
| Open | 144.42 |
| Bid | 144.74 x 0 |
| Ask | 144.80 x 0 |
| Day's range | 143.46 - 145.66 |
| 52-week range | 1.69 - 169.46 |
| Volume | 57,868,791 |
| Avg. volume | 84,672,747 |
| Market cap | 39B |
| Beta (3Y monthly) | 0.56 |
| PE ratio (TTM) | N/A |
| EPS (TTM) | -28.20 |
| Earnings date | 12 Nov 2019 |
| Forward dividend & yield | 0.08 (5.32%) |
| Ex-dividend date | 2019-11-28 |
| 1y target est | 2.01 |
- Reuters - UK Focus
UPDATE 2-Dixons Carphone 1H profit plunges, maintains forecast as mobile turnaround on track
British electricals retailer Dixons Carphone stuck to its forecast for annual profit and said a plan to cope with the challenging mobile phone market was working, but it wasn't counting on any post-election boost. It reported a drop in first-half profit of 60 percent, though it maintained its financial guidance for its full 2019-20 year. UK voters headed to the polls on Thursday in an election that could break the impasse over Britain's exit from the European Union, but Dixons Carphone chief executive Alex Baldock said that political clarity wouldn't necessarily help consumer confidence.
- Reuters - UK Focus
UPDATE 1-TIM, Vodafone ready Italian tower stake sale with advisers - sources
Telecom Italia and Vodafone will kick off the sale of a stake in their Italian tower business in the coming days after picking advisers for the process, two sources said. Vodafone has selected UBS, while Telecom Italia (TIM) has chosen Banca IMI, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, one of the sources told Reuters on Wednesday. TIM, Vodafone and the banks all declined to comment.
- Reuters - UK Focus
TIM, Vodafone pick advisers in Italian tower stake sale - sources
- Reuters - UK Focus
UPDATE 2-Telefonica Deutschland picks Nokia and Huawei for 5G network
Telefonica Deutschland picked Nokia of Finland and China's Huawei on Wednesday to build its 5G network, seeking to get work moving even though Germany has yet to finalise security rules governing equipment suppliers. The decision by the unit of Spain's Telefonica comes amid heated debate in Germany over whether to heed U.S. warnings that Huawei poses such a serious security threat that it should be excluded from critical network infrastructure.
- Reuters - UK Focus
Telefonica Deutschland cuts dividend as it prioritises network investments
Telefonica Deutschland, one of Germany's three main mobile operators, said it would cut its dividend as it prioritises investing in upgrading its network over the next three years. The unit of Spain's Telefonica said it would propose a dividend of 0.17 euros ($0.19), down from 0.27 euros last year, following similar dividend cuts by competitors Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone.
- Stockopedia
Is the Vodafone share price (LON:VOD) good value?
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- Bloomberg
Europe Edges Toward 5G Restrictions After Blast of U.S. Lobbying
(Bloomberg) -- U.S. officials flooded Europe last week, and by the time they had departed, their efforts to persuade their allies to cut back in using Huawei Technologies Co. equipment appeared to finally be gaining traction.Europe has been caught between two major world powers, China and the U.S., over the question of whether to include Huawei in the roll-out of its future 5G mobile networks. Many European countries don’t want to anger Beijing, a significant trading partner, while the U.S., an important security ally, has repeatedly said it may reassess intelligence sharing with countries that utilize Huawei in their 5G networks.But on Tuesday the European Union agreed its member states should adopt a “comprehensive and risk-based” approach to the security of 5G, which includes using only trustworthy parties for components critical to national security, and should consider the laws of a supplier’s home country before buying their products.A day later, following a NATO summit U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed “the need to exclude untrusted providers,” a White House spokesman said in a statement. The discussion came as the country’s largest phone carrier, Deutsche Telekom AG, announced it had stopped orders for 5G equipment due to Huawei’s uncertain status. Merkel has previously insisted that individual vendors such as Huawei should not be banned from the outset.While American diplomats see the new EU security conclusions as a sign of progress, it’s not yet certain it will lead to a change in Huawei’s status in Europe. Under current EU law, only member states can ban vendors from their markets. The countries are expected to agree to recommendations by the end of the year. These could include flagging specific vendors as untrustworthy, or suggesting updates to EU or national legislation.The ambiguities of European regulation haven’t stopped U.S. officials from declaring some form of victory.“We were very pleased to see the conclusions on 5G that the EU council released,” Rob Strayer, the U.S. State Department’s deputy assistant secretary for cyber, said on a conference call with reporters Thursday.Keith Krach, the State Department’s under secretary for economic growth, energy, and the environment also told reporters in Paris: “I would like to salute the EU leadership on the position they’ve taken on securing 5G.”For their part, EU officials said member states agreed to the 5G conclusions to safeguard the region’s own interests, not to appease any outside powers. They added that the U.S. and China weren’t mentioned in the discussions leading up to the agreement, nor were there any real controversial issues among the member states.Part of the U.S. optimism comes as European companies begin to turn their back on Huawei. Deutsche Telekom said it was hoping for “political clarity for the 5G build-out in Germany as soon as possible” as it announced it had stopped orders on 5G equipment due to Huawei’s uncertain status. No other major European telecommunications company has announced a full ban, although Vodafone Group Plc in January suspended purchases of Huawei gear for the core of its European networks.A key issue for European and U.S. officials is a 2017 Chinese law that mandates any organization and citizen to support and assist national intelligence in their investigations. The U.S. has argued that allies should only purchase equipment from countries that have independent court systems. Strayer has said he isn’t trying to get allies to ban a particular company, but instead, is urging allies to adopt a common security standard -- which Huawei doesn’t meet.“We’ve said for some time that we want to maintain our very close cooperation on law enforcement and military matters with governments around the world,” said Strayer said on Tuesday in an interview with Bloomberg TV. “But when we’re not able to share information securely, as would be the case when they have untrusted vendors in their 5G networks, we’re going to have to reassess how we share that information in the future.”A Huawei spokesman pointed Bloomberg News to a statement in which the company welcomed the EU’s “fact-based approach,” adding that the Chinese company is a trusted partner throughout Europe and that its 5G solution is “safe and innovative.”The political agreement by the European member states aims to set one approach on 5G across capitals, preventing any one country from being singled out or becoming a potential target for retaliation by China or the U.S.In the U.K., a key U.S. ally, Conservative party politicians are burnishing their hawkish security credentials during a general election campaign by dangling the prospect of a ban on a Chinese supplier. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, speaking at the NATO Summit in London on Wednesday, said he didn’t want Britain to be “unnecessarily hostile to investment from overseas,” but “we cannot prejudice our vital national security interests.”U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid appeared to echo Johnson’s stance. “When it comes to our national security, no cost is too high,” he said, speaking to LBC radio. The Conservatives are capitalizing on data that shows opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn polling badly on whether he can be trusted on national security issues.It wasn’t all a success for the U.S., however. The following day, Johnson was seen using what appeared to be a Huawei P20 smartphone to take selfies. His office said that the phone belonged to a staffer.\--With assistance from Kitty Donaldson and Rudy Ruitenberg.To contact the reporters on this story: Alyza Sebenius in Washington at asebenius@bloomberg.net;Natalia Drozdiak in Brussels at ndrozdiak1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Giles Turner at gturner35@bloomberg.net, Andrew MartinFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- Fool.co.uk
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The Vodafone (VOD) share price offers an opportunity for income investors, says Roland Head.
- Fool.co.uk
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- Reuters - UK Focus
UPDATE 1-Netherlands to raise at least 900 mln euros in first 5G auction
The Netherlands aims to rake in at least 900 million euros ($992 million) from its first auction of bandwidth for 5G networks, it said on Thursday, adding some equipment suppliers could be banned from the new networks if they raise security concerns. European governments are grappling with how to treat Huawei Technologies Co Ltd after the United States alleged the Chinese telecoms supplier's equipment could be exploited by Beijing for spying. Huawei strongly denies the allegations.
- Bloomberg
Orange Joins Phone Industry’s Big Infrastructure Sell-Off
(Bloomberg) -- Orange SA will seek to extract greater value from its telecom infrastructure, joining rivals in selling stakes in mobile-phone towers and fiber-optic networks.In a first step, France’s largest phone carrier is selling 1,500 mobile towers in Spain to Cellnex Telecom SA for 260 million euros ($288 million), it said Wednesday in a statement unveiling a five-year strategic plan.Orange will set up separate companies to house its 40,000 cellular towers and look for partners to help finance the costly roll-out of fiber networks in France and elsewhere in Europe.Its shares fell as much as 4.8%, the biggest intraday drop in more than three years, after the company issued new forecasts for profits and dividends in the near term that were weaker than analysts had expected. Orange Slides to Almost 3-Month Low as Investor Day DisappointsThe carrier is a relative latecomer to an industry push to hive off network infrastructure into separate businesses to boost its value and bring in new investors. There’s big demand for those assets among funds seeking reliable investment returns. Their involvement could help Orange to cut investment costs and boost a share price that’s barely changed in half a decade, frustrating the government, which owns almost a quarter of the company. The company’s new financial targets see capital spending starting to decline from 2022 once it’s made investments in radio-access network sharing deals in Spain and Belgium and completed the bulk of a fiber-to-the-home fixed-line deployment in France. Ecapex, Orange’s term for capital spending, is expected to grow by around 200 million euros in 2020, then stabilize in 2021 before starting to decline the following year.Read more: Orange’s Midterm Outlook Ambition Hindered by Pressures: ReactMaking the most of infrastructure is key to a new target to increase Ebitdaal -- its measure for adjusted operating income -- by 2% to 3% for 2021-2023. That’s after slightly increasing Ebitdaal in 2019 and aiming for “flat positive” Ebitdaal in 2020.The extra profit may not go to shareholders for now: the company set a minimum annual dividend of 70 euro cents until 2023 and said any increase would depend on the amount of organic cash flow.“We believe the short-term guidance is underwhelming versus consensus expectations,” said Barclays analysts in a note. “As such we expect some profit taking after the recent strong stock performance.”Orange stock has gained 1.5% this year through Tuesday, in line with the wider Stoxx Europe 600 telecommunications index, while independent wireless tower company Cellnex has doubled in value.Red LineFor now, Orange’s infrastructure plans are relatively limited compared to those of rivals. While Vodafone Group Plc has set up a separate towers business for which it plans an initial public offering or stake sale, Orange is looking on a market-by-market basis to consider selling non-strategic towers, and will hold on to what it sees as the most valuable sites. While the new tower companies in Europe seek to demonstrate infrastructure value, monetization so far is “very limited,” Jefferies analysts led by Jerry Dellis wrote in a note.Orange will only go so far in separating assets that it still sees as key to its future. Chief Executive Officer Stephane Richard said it is a “red line” for Orange to “keep control” of the infrastructure, while conceding that its share price doesn’t reflect the value of the assets under the current structure.U.S. carriers have been more radical than their European peers in the past decade, selling overall control of their towers to create a large, independent tower industry. Those deals sometimes led to higher costs for the carriers when the tower operators cranked up mast leasing costs.Orange said it will share future fiber broadband deployment in Spain and Poland with other carriers and may find partners for its French fiber rollout. Richard also raised the prospect of a possible IPO for Orange’s Africa and Middle East business, as previously reported by Bloomberg News. (Adds analyst comment in tenth paragraph, detail on fiber plans at end)\--With assistance from Kit Rees.To contact the reporter on this story: Angelina Rascouet in Paris at arascouet1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Rebecca Penty at rpenty@bloomberg.net, Thomas Pfeiffer, Jennifer RyanFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- Reuters - UK Focus
UPDATE 3-Modest Orange dividend overshadows European mobile mast plans
Orange said it planned to carve out its mobile towers in most European countries to shore up the group's value, but the move was overshadowed by the French telecom firm's modest dividend outlook, sending its shares lower. The company is following similar moves by other European firms that are looking to sell mobile networks as infrastructure valuations surge on interest from investors such as U.S. private equity firm KKR and Spain's Cellnex. The infrastructure sale aims to beef up its valuation as tough regional competition hampers Orange's growth and margins.
- Reuters - UK Focus
Telecoms group Orange kicks off the carving-out of its towers in Europe
Orange said it planned to carve out its mobile towers in most European countries where it is present, in a move aimed at shoring up the telecom group's value as tough competition in the region has hampered its growth and margins. The Paris-based company will retain control over all these new entities and is hoping to eventually merge them into a European company. "It is a vehicle that will enable us to play a possible role in consolidation at European level," Chief Executive Officer Stephane Richard said in a call with reporters on Wednesday.
- Investing.com
Premarket London: Vodafone Signs up AWS in 5G; Rio Hit by Violence
Investing.com -- Here is a summary of the most important regulatory news releases from the London Stock Exchange on Wednesday, 4th December. Please refresh for updates.
- Bloomberg
U.S. to Tap $60 Billion War Chest in Boon for Huawei Rivals
(Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. The U.S. has been warning other countries not to buy telecommunications gear from China’s Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp. The government will soon put real money behind the effort.A new agency, called the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, plans to tap some of its $60 billion budget to help developing countries and businesses purchase equipment from other companies.“The U.S. is very focused on ensuring there’s a viable alternative to Huawei and ZTE. We don’t want to be out there saying no. We want to be out there saying yes,” Adam Boehler, the first chief executive officer of the DFC, said in a recent interview.He declined to discuss specific company talks or how the money would be spent. However, the plans would be a welcome boost for Sweden’s Ericsson AB and Finland’s Nokia Oyj, which have struggled to compete with Huawei and ZTE equipment that’s often cheaper and at least as capable. The U.S. could bankroll Huawei alternatives through loans or loan guarantees to developing nations and companies, or even acquiring minority stakes in emerging makers of competing gear.Ericsson shares jumped as much as 4.2%, while Nokia gained as much as 3.2% following the story.The U.S. government is concerned about Chinese companies dominating the rollout of faster wireless networks known as 5G. The Trump administration has said Huawei and ZTE gear could be used for spying, an allegation the companies have denied. Many countries, including Germany and France, are reluctant to ban individual vendors like Huawei.How Huawei Became a Target for Governments: QuickTakeHuawei and ZTE “are state-owned enterprises or government-driven companies that subsidize their gear in some cases. The price is decent,” Boehler said. “Longer term, what is the cost of that? You shouldn’t think as a sovereign country from a short-term pricing perspective. Our focus is having people understand what they’re giving up and whether it’s worth it to save some money in the short term. It’s not.”The DFC was created last year to provide development financing to lower income and middle-income countries, which covers about half the world. It’s charged with “helping to advance U.S. foreign policy by countering the growing influence of authoritarian regimes” and expects to be fully authorized and funded by Congress in coming months.The DFC’s $60 billion investment cap is more than twice the size of its predecessor. The new agency can take minority equity stakes in companies, a new tool beyond existing capabilities that includes loans, loan guarantees and political risk insurance.Boehler wouldn’t discuss which DFC tools might be used to support purchases of non-Chinese telecom equipment. However, the Financial Times reported in October that U.S. government officials have suggested issuing credit to Huawei’s European rivals.Ericsson and Nokia didn’t respond to requests seeking comment.Another senior government official recently told Bloomberg News that the U.S. is considering funding mechanisms through the DFC that will decrease the cost of alternative commercial 5G gear. The person asked not to be identified discussing unannounced plans.The DFC is also considering whether to become a founding investor in a new technology infrastructure fund that will back emerging companies in 5G, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and other areas, Boehler said. The fund won’t invest in Chinese companies, he noted.“This could support bids on spectrum, investments in infrastructure or the development of a component for 5G,” he said. “We want to make sure that the next crop of companies, if they’re not U.S.-based, that they at least adhere to the principals we care about -- the rule of law and data protection.”“The real issue about Huawei is not China, it’s security of data,” he added. “We want to ensure that companies adhere to certain data-security standards and the protection people’s information.”Ethiopia is in the midst of privatizing its telecom industry and is auctioning spectrum and licenses. Vodacom Group Ltd., majority owned by British wireless giant Vodafone Group Plc, is planning a joint bid with Kenyan operator Safaricom Plc.“That is a live example that we can play in,” Boehler said. “There are no U.S. companies involved at this point, but the British are bidding.”(Updates with Ericsson and Nokia shares in fifth paragraph.)To contact the reporter on this story: Alistair Barr in San Francisco at abarr18@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tom Giles at tgiles5@bloomberg.net, Molly Schuetz, Andrew PollackFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- Bloomberg
India’s Telcos Jump After They Raise Mobile Phone Tariffs
(Bloomberg) -- Shares of India’s largest mobile phone service providers surged after they announced an increase in the cost of subscriptions to their plans, signaling a cut-throat price war in the nation may finally be easing.Bharti Airtel Ltd., the third-largest wireless carrier, said it will increase prices of its most expensive plan by as much as 41%, while Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd., the biggest telecom company by subscribers in India, will boost tariffs by as much as 40% from Dec. 6. Vodafone Idea Ltd. also announced a new pricing plan for prepaid customers on Sunday, which would be effective Dec. 3.The companies had all indicated in recent weeks that they would increase prices, after the government estimated the industry owes billions of dollars in license fees and spectrum charges.“This indicates a structural shift in the sector after a 3-year period of deep discounting by the new entrant Reliance Jio,” Neerav Dalal, an analyst at Maybank Kim Eng Securities, wrote in a note published Monday. Separately, Morgan Stanley upgraded Bharti Airtel to overweight from equalweight.Vodafone Idea surged about 14% in Mumbai on Monday, Bharti Airtel gained 3.7%, and the latter’s dollar-denominated perpetual bonds jumped the most since they were priced in October. Reliance Industries Ltd., the flagship company of the group that includes the unlisted telecom unit, rose 2.3%. A gauge of 13 companies related to the telecom industry rose 2.6% to the highest level since September 2018.The Indian venture of Vodafone Group Plc may be headed for liquidation unless the government eases off demands for mobile spectrum fees, the phone company’s chief executive officer warned last month. The industry has been caught up in a price war since Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, launched low-price rival Reliance Jio in 2016.(Updates shares in fifth paragraph)\--With assistance from Jeanette Rodrigues, Ravil Shirodkar and Rahul Satija.To contact the reporters on this story: Anurag Kotoky in New Delhi at akotoky@bloomberg.net;Ragini Saxena in Mumbai at rsaxena30@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, Sara Marley, Andrew DavisFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- Reuters - UK Focus
LIVE MARKETS-Closing snapshot: What a difference a day makes?
* Wall Street closed for Thanksgiving Day holiday Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Thyagaraju Adinarayan. One exception to note in this little puddle of red is the FTSE 250 in positive territory, propped up by growing expectations of a Conservative victory on Dec 12.
- Reuters - UK Focus
LIVE MARKETS-Brexit election: margins matter
* Wall Street closed for Thanksgiving Day holiday Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Thyagaraju Adinarayan. Is it going to be different this time?
- Reuters - UK Focus
LIVE MARKETS-Consumers to keep the eurozone alive
* Wall Street closed for Thanksgiving Day holiday Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Thyagaraju Adinarayan.
- Reuters - UK Focus
Romania-based Digi ruled out of bidding for Hungary 5G spectrum
Romania-based Digi Communications has been ruled out of the bidding process for high-speed 5G mobile spectrum in Hungary, national telecoms regulator NMHH said on Thursday. The announcement follows a preliminary ruling in September, which excluded Digi and named registered bidders as Deutsche Telekom's local unit Magyar Telekom, Britain's Vodafone and Telenor. The NMHH said Digi was not registered because it failed to meet the requirements for bidding.
- Reuters - UK Focus
LIVE MARKETS-Curing FOJI (the fear of joining in)
* Wall Street closed for Thanksgiving Day holiday Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Thyagaraju Adinarayan.
- Reuters - UK Focus
UPDATE 2-FTSE trips on ex-div trade, U.S.-China trade doubts
London's FTSE 100 retreated from a near four-month high on Thursday, weighed down by stocks trading ex-dividend and as U.S. ratification of legislation on Hong Kong raised concerns that progress in trade talks with China may be undone. The blue-chip index fell 0.2% after four straight days of gains, with Vodafone giving up nearly 4% and utility National Grid shedding almost 3% as they traded without entitlement to a dividend pay-out.
- Reuters - UK Focus
LIVE MARKETS-Opening snapshot: Trade risks come back
- Fool.co.uk
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