Weak telco financials could dent Bharti Infratel's plans; stock falls

Improvement after Indus merger has been factored in, but valuations not demanding

With the telecom sector struggling with pricing pressures and excessive leverage, Bharti Infratel (Infratel), which counts the top telcos as its clients, has been under pressure. Its stock has declined over 18 per cent over the last year on worries of tenancy growth, given the weak balance sheets of its clients and consolidation in the sector. 

The firm, in a recent interaction with analysts, allayed fears regarding growth in tenancies and potential growth avenues. Given the higher churn after consolidation in the sector, there were worries about tenancies. The Infratel management indicated that each of the major telcos would need 300,000