Bharti Airtel Q3 results today: Analysts expect Arpu growth to drive profit

Bharti Airtel Results Today: The telecom services provider could report "industry-leading" financials with a healthy growth in average revenue per user (Apru), subscriber base, and margin expansion

Bharti Airtel share, Bharti Airtel results: Telecom major Bharti Airtel is scheduled to report its December quarter (Q3) results today, February 6, 2025. According to  analysts, the telecom services provider could report "industry-leading" financials with a healthy growth in average revenue per user (Apru), subscriber base, and margin expansion.  Ahead of the results, Bharti Airtel share price fell 1.1 per cent to an intraday low of Rs 1,641.5 per share. By comparison, the BSE Sensex was down 0.13 per cent at 10:05 AM.

 

Bharti Airtel results today time

Bharti Airtel results are expected to be announced Thursday evening.  According to its stock exchange filing, Bharti Airtel Q3 results will be announced today, February 6, 2025.

 

 

"The meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company will be held on Thursday, February 06, 2025 to consider and take on record the Audited Financial Results (Standalone & Consolidated) for the third quarter (Q3) and nine months ended on December 31, 2024," the company said in its filing.

 

That apart, Bharti Airtel Group will conduct an 'Earnings Webinar' of Bharti Airtel Limited and Bharti Hexacom Limited in respect of the audited financial results for the third quarter ended on December 31, 2024 (Q3FY25) on (date) Friday, February 7, 2025 at (time) 2:30 PM to 3:50 PM IST.  READ: Preview: Will SBI Q3 profit rise or fall? Provisions hold key, say analysts

 

Bharti Airtel Q3 results expectations

 

Nuvama Institutional Equities

The brokerage builds in 7.6 per cent quarter-on-quarter (Q-o-Q) growth in consolidated revenue, at Rs 44,659.9 crore, with 8 per cent Q-o-Q growth for the India business and 3.9 per cent Q-o-Q increase (in rupee terms) for the Africa business. On a year-on-year (Y-o-Y) basis, Airtel Q3 revenue may rise around 18 per cent.

 

Bharti Airtel's consolidated revenue was Rs 41,473.3 crore in Q2FY25 (September quarter of FY25) and Rs 37,899.5 crore in Q3FY24.

 

India mobile services business shall grow 4.1 per cent Q-o-Q led by consolidation of 42 days of Indus Towers and residual impact of tariff hike, it said in a Bharti Airtel Q3 results preview report. Consolidated Ebitda margin shall expand 230 basis points (bps) Q-o-Q to 55.3 per cent from 52.7 per cent in Q2FY25. The same was 52.3 per cent in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal.

 

At the bottomline level, the brokerage expects Bharti Airtel Q3 net profit to come at Rs 5,224.3 crore, up 45.3 per cent Q-o-Q from Rs 3,593.2-crore profit reported in Q2FY25, and 113.9 per cent Y-o-Y from Rs 2,442.2-crore profit reported in Q3FY24.

 

Key monitorables include progress on 5G adoption, capex trajectory, Indus Tower consolidation, and future tariff hikes.  READ: ITC Q3 preview: Cigarette volume may remain resilient; FMCG biz to grow 6%

 

Centrum Broking

Analysts at the brokerage expect Bharti Airtel to report a 5.4 per cent Q-o-Q/15.3 per cent Y-o-Y rise in Q3 revenue to Rs 43,714.6 crore, aided by an increase in India wireless subscriber base by nearly 3 million Q-o-Q to 355 million subscribers.

 

Arpu, it said, is expected to grow by approximately 6.5 per cent Q-o-Q to Rs 248 per month (industry leading Arpu), driven by July, 2024, tariff hike and the ongoing migration of subscribers from 2G to 4G.

 

Further, Centrum Broking pencils an Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation) of Rs 23,295 crore, up by 6.6 per cent Q-o-Q from Rs 21,846.2 crore seen in Q2FY25 and by 17.6 per cent Y-o-Y from Rs 19,814.8 crore seen in Q3FY24.

With this, Ebitda margin is expected to improve by 61 bps Q-o-Q to 53.3 per cent.

 

Overall, consolidated net profit is pegged at Rs 5,274.6 crore for the quarter under review, up 46.8 per cent Q-o-Q and 116 per cent Y-o-Y.  READ: Hero MotoCorp Q3 Preview: Net profit may climb up to Rs 1,130 crore YoY

 

Antique Broking

Antique Broking expects a 5.3 per cent Q-o-Q Ebitda growth for Bharti Airtel, driven by Arpu increase, as the tariff hike continues to flow through even as the subscriber base improves from Q2FY25 lows.

 

The brokerage estimates Arpu to rise by 6 per cent to Rs 247 (vs 10.4  per cent growth in Q2FY25).

 

It forecasts a revenue of Rs 43,235.2 crore during Bharti Airtel results (up 4.1 per cnt Q-o-Q/14 per cent Y-o-Y).

 

"Tariff hikes usually takes 2-3 quarters to fully flow through. Ebitda margin is expected to be at 53.2 per cent (up 49 bps Q-o-Q/88 bps Y-o-Y). We expect the mobility subscriber base to increase by 2.9 million, taking the total subscriber base to 354.5 million," it said.

 

Airtel Business growth momentum is likely to continue and the segment is likely to grow at 12 per cent Y-o-Y. The Nigerian currency (Naira) was largely stable and, hence, the brokerage expects Airtel Africa's reported numbers to be stable too.

 

"Home broadband subscriber base is likely to be up 0.3 million during the quarter. We expect the DTH business to be stable," it added.

 

It pegs Ebitda at Rs 23,007.8 crore and net profit at Rs 5,257.1 crore.