bharti airtel buy - business standard · 2020. 8. 28. · bharti airtel – buy strong performance...

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Bharti Airtel – BUY Strong performance in tough conditions Financial summary (Rs bn) Y/e 31 Mar, Consolidated FY19A FY20A FY21ii FY22ii FY23ii Revenues (Rs bn) 808 879 971 1,101 1,341 Ebitda margins (%) 31.9 41.9 43.3 46.6 49.1 Pre-exceptional PAT (Rs bn) 4 (98) (158) 55 137 Reported PAT (Rs bn) 4 (322) (158) 55 137 Pre-exceptional EPS (Rs) 1.0 (17.9) (28.9) 10.0 25.1 Growth (%) (62.7) NA NA NA 149.9 IIFL vs consensus (%) 381.3 (28.2) 10.0 PER (x) 498.8 (28.5) (17.7) 51.0 20.4 ROE (%) 0.5 NA NA 7.0 17.0 Net debt/equity (x) 1.3 1.2 1.6 1.9 1.7 EV/Ebitda (x) 13.7 11.9 10.5 8.8 6.9 Price/book (x) 2.4 2.7 3.5 3.6 3.3 OCF/Ebitda (x) 0.8 0.5 0.9 1.0 0.9 Source: Company, IIFL Research. Priced as on 27 August 2020 G V Giri | [email protected] 91 22 4646 4676 Balaji Subramanian | [email protected] 91 22 4646 4644 | CMP Rs511 12-mth TP (Rs) 619 (21%) Market cap (US$m) 37,767 Enterprise value(US$m) 53,417 Bloomberg BHARTI IN Sector Telecom Shareholding pattern (%) Promoter 56.2 Pledged (as % of promoter share) 0.0 FII 20.2 DII 18.4 52Wk High/Low (Rs) 612/326 Shares o/s (m) 5456 Daily volume (US$ m) 170.7 Dividend yield FY21ii (%) 0.7 Free float (%) 43.8 Price performance (%) 1M 3M 1Y Absolute (Rs) (8.7) (9.3) 46.7 Absolute (US$) (7.1) (6.6) 42.6 Rel. to Sensex (11.8) (33.0) 42.8 Cagr (%) 3 yrs 5 yrs EPS NA NA Stock performance 0 200 400 600 800 0 100,000 200,000 300,000 Aug-18 Oct-18 Dec-18 Feb-19 Apr-19 Jun-19 Aug-19 Oct-19 Dec-19 Feb-20 Apr-20 Jun-20 Aug-20 Vol('000, LHS) Price (Rs., RHS) Company update FY20 ARA 28 August 2020 The key takeaways from Bharti’s FY20 AR are: Bharti’s underlying standalone (SA) Ebitda margin expanded 330bps YoY and Ebitda growth was 30%. This is after removing the 150bps boost to reported margin due to spreading of customer acquisition cost over the life of the customer. Opex Cagr of 1.7% in India in the past 3 years is impressive (ex LF, SUC and access charges). Comparing Bharti’s and JIO’s cost structure, the difference in S&D and other expenses is partly due to JIO’s opex capitalisation and lower salience in enterprise and post-paid. Consol WC (ex capex creditors) for Bharti deteriorated from -27% of sales in FY19 to -20% of sales in FY20 mostly due to Africa. Bharti SA’s underlying WC position at -16% of sales in FY20 was marginally better than JIO’s -14%. The proportion of online top-ups rose to 70% during lockdown vs. 35% before. If this remains sticky, there could be ~50bps Ebitda margin boost. Effective interest rate rose to 11.1% in FY20 vs. 10.8% in FY19. Contingent liabilities towards DoT came down sharply to Rs51bn as Bharti made AGR provisions in its balance sheet. Separately, Bharti has provided for Rs56bn one-time spectrum charges (OTSC) split as Rs18bn principal and Rs38bn interest. With DoT’s total demand at Rs84bn, the remaining part of the principal and potential interest on this could result in incremental Rs200bn+ liability in the event of an adverse outcome (currently sub judice). We build in Rs17/share regulatory hit: If the SC orders Bharti/JIO to pay AGR dues of insolvent telcos (whose spectrum is in use by the surviving telcos), the worst case AGR liabilities could be Rs138bn/Rs252bn. If the telcos are ordered to surrender this spectrum, it may be a blessing in disguise. We build in Rs17/share hit assuming 25% probability of adverse outcome on OTSC case and 50% probability for AGR dues of insolvent telcos. We also tweak AGR hit/share from Rs54 to Rs49 earlier to factor in indemnity asset from Telenor. Our TP comes down to Rs619 from Rs630. The stock trades at 10.5x FY21 EV/Ebitda and we forecast 25% Ebitda Cagr over FY21-23.

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  • Bharti Airtel – BUY

    Strong performance in tough conditions

    Financial summary (Rs bn)

    Y/e 31 Mar, Consolidated FY19A FY20A FY21ii FY22ii FY23ii

    Revenues (Rs bn) 808 879 971 1,101 1,341

    Ebitda margins (%) 31.9 41.9 43.3 46.6 49.1

    Pre-exceptional PAT (Rs bn) 4 (98) (158) 55 137

    Reported PAT (Rs bn) 4 (322) (158) 55 137

    Pre-exceptional EPS (Rs) 1.0 (17.9) (28.9) 10.0 25.1

    Growth (%) (62.7) NA NA NA 149.9

    IIFL vs consensus (%) 381.3 (28.2) 10.0

    PER (x) 498.8 (28.5) (17.7) 51.0 20.4

    ROE (%) 0.5 NA NA 7.0 17.0

    Net debt/equity (x) 1.3 1.2 1.6 1.9 1.7

    EV/Ebitda (x) 13.7 11.9 10.5 8.8 6.9

    Price/book (x) 2.4 2.7 3.5 3.6 3.3

    OCF/Ebitda (x) 0.8 0.5 0.9 1.0 0.9

    Source: Company, IIFL Research. Priced as on 27 August 2020

    G V Giri | [email protected] 91 22 4646 4676

    Balaji Subramanian | [email protected] 91 22 4646 4644

    |

    CMP Rs511

    12-mth TP (Rs) 619 (21%)

    Market cap (US$m) 37,767

    Enterprise value(US$m) 53,417

    Bloomberg BHARTI IN

    Sector Telecom

    Shareholding pattern (%)

    Promoter 56.2 Pledged (as % of promoter share) 0.0

    FII 20.2

    DII 18.4

    52Wk High/Low (Rs) 612/326

    Shares o/s (m) 5456

    Daily volume (US$ m) 170.7

    Dividend yield FY21ii (%) 0.7

    Free float (%) 43.8

    Price performance (%)

    1M 3M 1Y

    Absolute (Rs) (8.7) (9.3) 46.7

    Absolute (US$) (7.1) (6.6) 42.6

    Rel. to Sensex (11.8) (33.0) 42.8

    Cagr (%) 3 yrs 5 yrs

    EPS NA NA

    Stock performance

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    Vol('000, LHS) Price (Rs., RHS)

    Company update

    FY20 ARA

    28 August 2020

    The key takeaways from Bharti’s FY20 AR are:

    • Bharti’s underlying standalone (SA) Ebitda margin expanded 330bps YoY and Ebitda growth was 30%. This is after removing the 150bps

    boost to reported margin due to spreading of customer acquisition

    cost over the life of the customer.

    • Opex Cagr of 1.7% in India in the past 3 years is impressive (ex LF, SUC and access charges).

    • Comparing Bharti’s and JIO’s cost structure, the difference in S&D and other expenses is partly due to JIO’s opex capitalisation and

    lower salience in enterprise and post-paid.

    • Consol WC (ex capex creditors) for Bharti deteriorated from -27% of sales in FY19 to -20% of sales in FY20 mostly due to Africa.

    • Bharti SA’s underlying WC position at -16% of sales in FY20 was marginally better than JIO’s -14%.

    • The proportion of online top-ups rose to 70% during lockdown vs. 35% before. If this remains sticky, there could be ~50bps Ebitda

    margin boost.

    • Effective interest rate rose to 11.1% in FY20 vs. 10.8% in FY19. • Contingent liabilities towards DoT came down sharply to Rs51bn as

    Bharti made AGR provisions in its balance sheet. Separately, Bharti

    has provided for Rs56bn one-time spectrum charges (OTSC) split as

    Rs18bn principal and Rs38bn interest. With DoT’s total demand at

    Rs84bn, the remaining part of the principal and potential interest on

    this could result in incremental Rs200bn+ liability in the event of an

    adverse outcome (currently sub judice).

    We build in Rs17/share regulatory hit: If the SC orders Bharti/JIO

    to pay AGR dues of insolvent telcos (whose spectrum is in use by the

    surviving telcos), the worst case AGR liabilities could be

    Rs138bn/Rs252bn. If the telcos are ordered to surrender this spectrum,

    it may be a blessing in disguise. We build in Rs17/share hit assuming

    25% probability of adverse outcome on OTSC case and 50% probability

    for AGR dues of insolvent telcos. We also tweak AGR hit/share from

    Rs54 to Rs49 earlier to factor in indemnity asset from Telenor. Our TP

    comes down to Rs619 from Rs630. The stock trades at 10.5x FY21

    EV/Ebitda and we forecast 25% Ebitda Cagr over FY21-23.

  • gvgiri@i i flcap.com

    Bharti Airtel – BUY

    2

    Interesting stats from FY20 AR

    • The proportion of online top-ups rose to 70% during lockdown vs. 35% before. We think that this may settle around 50% once

    normalcy resumes post COVID. This is positive since dealer payouts

    are ~4% of revenue for physical top-ups vs. 80k sites and 0.5 m outlets in rural areas, which works out to >40% of total sites and ~50% of total outlets.

    • Bharti has 10 large data centres, 120+ edge data centres, 2k+ enterprise and government clients, and 500k+ SME clients.

    • There are 160m+ users across Airtel Thanks, Wynk and Xstream. Airtel Thanks customers pay higher ARPU compared to non-Airtel

    Thanks customers. Bharti also monetises some of these digital

    assets through ad revenue (currently miniscule). It plans to deploy

    ad platforms to improve monetisation. Further, it earns revenue

    from insurance companies (HDFC Life and Bharti AXA) who use

    Bharti’s digital assets for distribution.

    • 850MHz acquired from Tata is actively used by Bharti. Bharti has 850MHz in 5 circles though it has 5MHz in none of these. In two

    circles, it uses the 850 band for LTE. Being sub 1 GHz spectrum, it is

    used to improve reach and indoor coverage. Also, in 2 out of these 5

    circles, Bharti did not have sub-1GHz spectrum before Tata

    acquisition; this strengthens its spectrum portfolio in those circles.

    • The long running dispute with Tanzanian government has been resolved. News shares in Airtel Tanzania were issued to Tanzanian

    government such that the shareholding of the opco becomes 51-49

    (with the government having 49%). Earlier, this was 60-40. In

    return, US$874m tax claim on BAIN, US$183m fine, US$47m tax

    claim on the opco have been waived off. Carry forward tax loss

    balance has been allowed. Special dividend of up to 25% of 2019

    Ebitda will be paid.

    Airtel Thanks delivers ARPU uplift

    Bharti relaunched My Airtel app during FY19, with rewards, privileges

    and personalised offers. Airtel Thanks customers pay higher ARPU

    compared to non-Airtel Thanks customers though the extent of boost

    is unclear.

    Airtel Thanks packs are offered in three tiers (corporate and add-on

    plan users are not eligible)

    • Silver (for prepaid subs who top up for unlimited plans of Rs119 but less than Rs249) – This comes bundled with Wynk and Airtel

    Xstream

    • Gold (for prepaid subs who top up for unlimited plans of Rs249 or above, for post-paid Infinity Plan users and fixed BB users below

    Rs1099) - In addition to Wynk and Airtel Xstream in the silver

    tier, this offers ZEE5, HOOQ and Eros Now.

    • Platinum (for post-paid plan users of Rs499 or above, fixed BB users of Rs1099 or above) - In addition to the benefits in the

    gold tier, this offers 1 year of Amazon Prime, free handset

    damage protection, Airtel Books and priority customer

    support. Amazon Prime membership comes with video,

    shopping, unlimited free shipping and early and exclusive access

    to deals on Amazon.

  • gvgiri@i i flcap.com

    Bharti Airtel – BUY

    3

    Standalone – 330bps underlying Ebitda margin expansion YoY

    We look at the P&L of Bharti standalone (which includes India mobile ex

    Rajasthan and North East + Home broadband + Enterprise).

    • Revenue grew 10% YoY in FY20 vs. 8% decline seen in FY19. Reported Ebitda had two positive influences and a negative

    influence: 1) Ind-AS 116 related tailwind of Rs43.1bn; and 2)

    spreading of customer acquisition cost as the average life of

    customer is derived to be more than 12 months, which boosted SA

    Ebitda by Rs7.9bn; and 3) accounting change in enterprise and

    home segments where some costs which were earlier below the

    Ebitda are now part of opex. Though Bharti did not quantify this, by

    extrapolating historical trends, we estimate that this was a headwind

    of Rs3.3bn.

    • After removing the above three factors from reported numbers, opex grew 4.6% YoY and Ebitda grew 30% YoY. Ebitda margin expanded

    330bps YoY to 28.5%.

    • We look at opex (excluding LF, SUC and access charges) since these are costs that can be controlled by Bharti. This was up 2.2% YoY

    and it is commendable that it has increased only 5% from FY17

    level.

    • Passive infra charges (tower rentals) rose by 8% YoY while power and fuel costs were up 11%. Repair and maintenance costs were flat

    YoY. Mobile broadband unique locations/BTS are up 11%/21% YoY.

    • Sales and marketing expenses (adjusted for the Rs7.9bn tailwind from spreading of customer acquisition cost) remained flat as % of

    revenue.

    • Content costs had risen 30% YoY in FY19 reflecting the impact of content deals with ZEE5 and Netflix. In the absence of new deals,

    content costs came off in FY20. Further, reduction in VAS revenue

    was also accompanied by a reduction in content costs.

    • Bad debt provisions + write-offs which have historically remained at Rs8-9bn came down to Rs4.4bn in FY20. Bharti stated that FY20 saw

    higher recoveries in the enterprise business and lower ICR bad debt.

    Figure 1: Bharti Standalone: Lower bad debt provisions and other expenses drove most of the 330bps Ebitda margin expansion

    FY18 FY19 FY20 FY18 FY19 FY20

    Rs bn Rs bn Rs bn % of rev % of rev % of rev

    Revenue 536.6 496.1 543.2

    Ebitda (reported) 178.7 124.8 202.6 33.3 25.2 37.3

    Ebitda (ex accounting change) 178.7 124.8 159.5 33.3 25.2 28.5

    Opex (ex LF, SUC, IUC) 223.4 240.0 248.5 41.6 48.4 45.7

    Passive infra charges (ex Ind-AS) 64.4 72.6 74.3 12.0 14.6 13.7

    Power and fuel costs 45.6 55.6 61.7 8.5 11.2 11.4

    Repair and maintenance 16.2 20.9 20.7 3.0 4.2 3.8

    Internet bandwidth and leased line 7.1 10.3 13.6 1.3 2.1 2.5

    Other network opex 6.2 6.1 5.8 1.1 1.2 1.1

    Sales distribution commission* 22.2 16.6 17.7 4.1 3.3 3.3

    Content costs 5.7 7.5 5.9 1.1 1.5 1.1

    IT expenses 3.8 5.9 5.7 0.7 1.2 1.0

    Bad debts W/O + provisions 8.8 8.5 4.4 1.6 1.7 0.8

    Collection and recovery exp. 3.7 1.3 1.2 0.7 0.3 0.2

    Customer care expenses 4.7 5.3 4.7 0.9 1.1 0.9

    Others 9.5 8.8 5.8 1.8 1.8 1.1 Source: Company, IIFL Research; *After adding back Rs7.9bn pertaining to accounting change in FY20 and removing est. Rs3.3bn leased line costs which was earlier below Ebitda

  • gvgiri@i i flcap.com

    Bharti Airtel – BUY

    4

    Cost comparison with JIO

    We compare the opex (ex LF, SUC and access charges) of Bharti stand-

    alone+Hexacom and JIO. The main differences are in sales and

    marketing expenses and other expenses.

    Figure 2: Opex comparison of Bharti SA and JIO

    Rs bn JIO As % of rev Bharti SA + Hexacom As % of rev

    Employee cost 14.6 2.7% 15.8 2.7%

    Network opex* 183.3 33.7% 190.3 32.7%

    Sales and marketing exp 12.8 2.4% 27.3 4.7%

    Other expenses 15.6 2.9% 28.6 4.9%

    Total 226.3 41.7% 262.0 45.0%

    Revenue 543.2 581.9

    Source: Company, IIFL Research; *after adjusting for Ind-AS 116 impact

    Unit rental/energy costs 12%/25% lower for JIO vs. Bharti:

    Though JIO has ~32% more locations than Bharti, it has ~7% lower

    revenue than Bharti. This suggests that Bharti’s revenue per location is

    significantly higher. In our view, this is on account of JIO’s network

    being significantly bigger since it carries 2x data traffic of Bharti. With

    Bharti deriving est. ~30% of its revenue from 2G users, the capacity

    and the equipment count required to support this revenue is

    significantly lower. Thus it makes sense for Bharti to continue

    supporting 2G users in the near term. Over time, as Bharti expands its

    4G footprint and converts existing 2G users to 4G, we expect the

    revenue per location for both telcos to converge (after adjusting for

    spectrum holding differences).

    On a per location basis, JIO’s rental cost/energy cost per month was

    ~12%/25% lower than Bharti’s. If we assume that JIO’s energy cost per

    location is the same as Bharti with the difference being capitalised by

    JIO, the annual energy cost capitalised comes to Rs25bn.

    Figure 3: Comparison of network opex components for Bharti and JIO

    Rs m Bharti SA + Hexacom JIO

    FY19 FY20 FY19 FY20

    Average est. location count 173,414 187,744 195,000 247,500

    Reported rental costs 73,523 33,683 42,710 77,340

    Ind-AS adjustment

    44,521

    13,230

    Effective rental costs 73,523 78,204 42,710 90,570

    As % of revenue 13.9% 13.4% 10.5% 16.7%

    Rental costs per location per month 35,331 34,712 18,252 30,495

    Energy costs 61,133 68,202 50,830 67,070

    As % of revenue 11.6% 11.7% 12.5% 12.3%

    Energy costs per location per month 29,377 30,273 21,722 22,582

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

    Bharti’s sales and marketing costs have declined by 20% in 3

    years: JIO’s sales and marketing expense as % of revenue in FY20 was

    2.4% vs. Bharti’s 4.7%. JIO does not split this line item further. For

    Bharti, subscriber acquisition costs (SAC) account for almost 2/3rds of

    this line item with the remaining being ad spend and others.

  • gvgiri@i i flcap.com

    Bharti Airtel – BUY

    5

    Figure 4: We estimate that JIO may have capitalized sales and marketing expenses to the tune of 3.7% of revenue if one assumes similar SAC as Bharti

    Bharti's sales and marketing exp as % of revenue 4.7%

    Bharti's ad spend and others as % of revenue 1.5%

    SAC as % of revenue 3.2%

    Bharti's SAC (Rs m) 18,516

    Bharti's gross adds in FY20 (m) 84.8

    Implied SAC per sub (Rs) 218

    JIO's gross adds in FY20 ( m) 126.4

    JIO's estimated SAC assuming similar SAC per sub as Bharti (Rs m) 27,586

    As % of revenue 5.1%

    JIO's est. ad spend and others as % of revenue 1.0%

    Total est. sales and marketing exp as % of revenue 6.1%

    JIO's reported sales and marketing exp as % of revenue 2.4%

    Est. capitalised sales and marketing expenses 3.7% Source: Company, IIFL Research

    The above table indicates that JIO potentially capitalised sales and

    marketing expenses worth 3.7% of revenue or Rs20bn. Total estimated

    capitalised opex including Rs25bn energy costs comes to Rs45bn for

    JIO. This largely validates our calculation of Rs47bn opex capitalisation

    in FY20 in JIO’s ARA note.

    Most of Bharti’s reduction in sales and marketing (20% in absolute

    terms in 3 years) has happened on SAC, which is on account of

    improvement in subscriber acquisition quality. This also reflects in lower

    churn which has come down from 3.7% to 2.5% during this period. CEO

    Gopal Vittal had emphasised on acquisition of quality subscribers when

    we met him a few years back and he has delivered on this count.

    Figure 5: Reduction in SAC and churn for Bharti reflects improved quality of subscriber acquisition

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

    Higher other expenses for Bharti vs. JIO partly due to higher

    post-paid and enterprise presence: JIO’s other expenses at Rs15bn

    (2.9% of revenue) are significantly below Bharti’s Rs27bn (4.9% of

    revenue). About 75% of this gap is account of Bharti’s higher bad debt

    provisions (due to higher enterprise, post-paid salience) and content

    costs (JIO’s content costs are housed in RIL’s other subsidiaries). The

    remaining is mostly on account of customer care expenses (Rs4.6bn for

    Bharti vs. Rs2.1bn for JIO), which is probably due to Bharti’s customers

    being spread across mobile, enterprise and home broadband.

    3.2% 3.5%

    4.1%

    3.3% 3.2% 3.4% 3.7%

    3.5%

    4.0%

    2.5%

    0.0%

    1.0%

    2.0%

    3.0%

    4.0%

    5.0%

    FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20

    SAC as % of rev Churn

    (%)

    https://www.iiflcap.com/researchpack/ResearchDownload.aspx?Pid=0NpDQnyFJJg%3d&Cid=Y0nEHBeeJ0M%3d&fName=Cmda67ZI4G%2btBqlOjKGSo8zgC80F6p9N%2f1krt7lPts9ETAWM95b9SrKmxcdNXBSo&typ=APSSeVhmQ%2b8%3d

  • gvgiri@i i flcap.com

    Bharti Airtel – BUY

    6

    Figure 6: Other expenses as % of revenue for Bharti and JIO

    Source: Companies, IIFL Research

    Steady WC in SA; some deterioration in subsidiaries Figure 7: Consol WC cycle: Some deterioration in overall WC days

    Rs m FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20

    Revenue 954,683 834,481 807,802 879,324

    Inventory – A 488 0 0 0

    Trade receivables – B 47,402 58,830 43,006 46,058

    Unbilled revenue – C 15,880 16,136 17,072 19,221

    Trade payables – D 268,537 268,537 263,138 250,199

    Capex creditors less capital advances – E 62,899 79,793 119,704 129,349

    Other net current liabilities – F 18,216 20,170 17,176 (7,628)

    Net current assets (A+B+C)-(D+E+F) (285,882) (293,534) (339,940) (306,641)

    Net current assets as a % of revenue -29.9% -35.2% -42.1% -34.9%

    Net current assets as a % of revenue (ex capex creditors)

    -23.4% -25.6% -27.3% -20.2%

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

    If one removes capex creditors, working capital deteriorated from -23%

    of sales in FY17 to -20% of sales in FY20.

    The below table suggests that WC deterioration was mainly in the

    subsidiaries even though SA WC was stable.

    Figure 8: Working capital (excluding capex creditors) deterioration was in the subsidiaries

    % of revenue FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20

    Consol -23.4% -25.6% -27.3% -20.2%

    SA -17.7% -22.8% -28.4% -26.2%

    Subsidiaries -34.0% -30.6% -25.5% -10.4% Source: Company, IIFL Research

    Trade payables were down from Rs263bn to Rs250bn YoY. This was flat

    for SA at Rs192bn and hence the reduction is entirely in the

    subsidiaries. With Airtel Africa disclosing its balance sheet, we also note

    6.6% 6.2%

    6.7%

    7.5%

    4.9%

    3.4% 3.0% 2.9%

    0.0%

    1.0%

    2.0%

    3.0%

    4.0%

    5.0%

    6.0%

    7.0%

    8.0%

    FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20

    Bharti JIO(Other exp as % of rev)

  • gvgiri@i i flcap.com

    Bharti Airtel – BUY

    7

    that the deterioration in FY20 was partly on account of Airtel Africa.

    Build-up of prepaid expenses in subsidiaries also resulted in WC

    deterioration.

    Figure 9: FY20’s WC deterioration was mostly in Africa

    % of revenue FY18 FY19 FY20

    Africa -20.3% -35.9% -18.0%

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

    Bharti SA’s -16% WC as % of sales superior to JIO’s -14%: On

    the SA WC front, net current assets (ex capex creditors) as a % of

    revenue which had improved from -17% to -28% from FY17 to FY19

    marginally deteriorated to -26%. This is superior to JIO’s -14% with the

    main difference being on account of Bharti’s higher trade payables.

    Bharti’s trade payables at Rs192bn is 4x that of JIO’s Rs47bn. Bharti’s

    trade payables include OTSC provision of ~Rs56bn, LF & SUC due for

    the quarter (Rs15bn) and tower company payables for the quarter. If

    we exclude Bharti’s OTSC provision, its net current assets (ex capex

    creditors) would be -16% vs. JIO’s -14%.

    Figure 10: FCF likely to be negative for the next two years due to elevated capex

    Rs bn FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21ii FY22ii FY23ii

    OCF (post interest) 215.9 223.9 124.5 89.5* 218.7 275.9 450.2

    Capex (ex spectrum) (218.6) (259.8) (305.3) (221.3) (230.7) (225.5) (250.2)

    Spectrum capex (165.5) (13.0) (45.5) (30.7) (1.8) (66.7) (147.7)

    FCF (pre inorganic) (168.1) (49.0) (226.3) (162.5) (13.8) (16.2) 52.3

    Proceeds from stake sale 140.2 205.6 45.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

    FCF (27.9) 156.7 (181.0) (162.5) (13.8) (16.2) 52.3

    Source: Company, IIFL Research; *after Rs120bn AGR cash payout which resulted in unwinding of liability

    Figure 11: ROE and ROCE have bottomed out in FY20

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

    Figure 12: Elements of DuPont analysis

    FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21ii FY22ii FY23ii

    Asset Turnover 0.42 0.35 0.31 0.28 0.27 0.30 0.35

    EBIT margin 16.3% 13.0% 5.5% 10.4% 12.5% 17.6% 23.7%

    Interest Burden 0.5 0.3 -0.4 -4.7 -0.8 0.5 0.7

    Financial Leverage 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.9 4.6 4.7

    Tax burden 0.5 0.3 -0.2 0.1 -0.3 0.6 0.6

    ROE 5.2% 1.4% 0.5% -5.1% 2.9% 7.0% 17.0%

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

    Key balance sheet movements

    • Bharti’s US$1bn FCCBs (issued in Jan 2020) have a conversion price of Rs534. The stock has remained well above this in recent months.

    The FCCB holder has the option of conversion any time. As the

    FCCBs are tradable in open market, a holder looking to liquidate the

    holding could sell the FCCB in the market, instead of converting.

    • Indemnification assets have jumped from Rs9bn in FY19 to Rs204bn in FY20. Out of this jump, Rs190bn pertains to AGR dues of Tata

    (Rs160bn) and Telenor (Rs30bn). Bharti’s balance sheet carries the

    -10.0%

    -5.0%

    0.0%

    5.0%

    10.0%

    15.0%

    20.0%

    FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21ii FY22ii FY23ii

    ROE ROCE(%)

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    Bharti Airtel – BUY

    8

    AGR provision for both Tata and Telenor. Since Tata Group and

    Telenor (parent) will bear the AGR dues, Bharti also carries an

    indemnification asset on its balance sheet.

    • Deferred tax asset (DTA) is up YoY from Rs89bn to Rs270bn. Most of the increase is due to carry forward losses. DTL is also up from

    Rs11bn to Rs16bn. Net DTA is up fromRs78bn to Rs254bn.

    • Bharti SA has not recognized DTA in respect of carry forward losses of Rs389bn/Rs494bn in FY19/20 pertaining to capital losses since it

    is not probable that relevant capital gains will be available in future.

    The above pertains to MTM capital losses on subsidiaries such as

    Infratel and Airtel Africa. On the other hand, Bharti has created

    Rs149bn DTA in FY20 for P&L losses as it expects to make taxable

    profits over time as industry prospects improve.

    • Taxes recoverable (mostly GST receivable) is Rs126bn as of end-FY20 vs. Rs113bn as of end-FY19. With revenue growth likely to

    accelerate and capex likely to come off, GST receivables should

    come off.

    Contingent liabilities + potential OTSC liabilities

    Contingent liabilities came down: Contingent liabilities pertaining to

    DoT demand had seen a sharp jump YoY from Rs40bn in FY18 to

    Rs93bn in FY19. This largely pertained to the AGR case. With AGR

    related liability now part of the balance sheet, contingent liabilities

    towards DoT came down to Rs51bn.

    Figure 13: Contingent liabilities for Bharti SA: Non-DoT items have fallen as % of revenue

    Contingent liabilities (Rs m) FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20

    DoT claims 4,766 4,809 36,540 40,344 93,522 51,129

    Sales and service tax 11,120 11,259 11,245 8,738 8,032 8,343

    Income tax 16,635 16,282 12,527 9,951 9,950 10,439

    Customs duty 4,254 4,254 4,317 4,883 4,883 2,868

    Entry tax 4,221 5,061 5,509 6,010 6,169 1,991

    Access charge litigation 6,952 8,196 8,733 10,021 11,839 13,487

    Others 854 1,954 2,086 2,509 2,291 2,303

    Total 48,802 51,815 80,957 82,456 136,686 90,560

    Standalone revenue 554,964 603,003 622,763 536,630 496,080 543,171

    As of % of standalone revenue 8.8% 8.6% 13.0% 15.4% 27.6% 16.7%

    Non-DoT claims 44,036 47,006 44,417 42,112 43,165 39,431

    As of % of standalone revenue 7.9% 7.8% 7.1% 7.8% 8.7% 7.3%

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

    Further, Bharti’s share of contingent liabilities for JVs/associates was

    Rs49bn as of end-FY20 vs. Rs28bn as of end-FY19. This was primarily

    due to Indus’ tax disputes.

    OTSC not part of contingent liabilities: On the longstanding OTSC

    (one-time spectrum charges) dispute, DoT had increased its demand

    from Rs51bn to Rs84bn during FY19, inline with the higher spectrum

    prices discovered in 2014 and 2015 auctions. OTSC demand has two

    parts: 1) on spectrum held up to 6.2MHz; and 2) on spectrum beyond

    6.2MHz.

    Recently, the Supreme Court made an adverse ruling against VIL that

    OTSC can be charged on spectrum beyond 6.2MHz. Consequently, in its

    4QFY20 results, Bharti booked an exceptional loss of Rs56bn (Rs18bn

    principal and Rs38bn interest). The remaining Rs66bn (Rs84bn demand

    minus Rs18bn provision for principal already made) and potential

    interest of Rs140bn on the same could be at risk in the event of an

    adverse verdict (i.e. if the SC orders that OTSC is applicable on

    spectrum up to 6.2MHz).

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    Bharti Airtel – BUY

    9

    Figure 14: In the event of an adverse verdict on the OTSC case, Rs206bn could be potentially at risk

    Rs m

    OTSC demand from DoT as of end-FY19 - A 84,140

    Provision made in FY20 after adverse SC verdict on part of the demand - B 18,075

    Interest provision made on the above Rs18bn - C 38,345

    Provision yet to be made - D = A - B 66,065

    Potential interest provision on the above - E = C*D/B 140,153

    Total provision incl interest that may have to be made - F = D + E 206,218

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

    Bharti has till date made AGR provisions of Rs475bn. Contingent

    liabilities towards DoT is Rs51bn. Then there is the above Rs206bn

    OTSC. Further, there is the risk of Rs138bn AGR dues of Videocon and

    Aircel, from which Bharti acquired spectrum. Rs3.5bn penalty on 3G ICR

    is also not part of contingent liability. Overall potential regulatory

    liability comes to ~Rs875bn, indicating the extremely harsh stance that

    the DoT, TRAI and the Supreme Court have taken on the industry.

    Figure 15: Total regulatory liabilities add up to almost Rs875bn

    Rs m

    AGR provision made* 475,000

    Contingent liabilities 51,129

    Potential OTSC provision 206,218

    3G ICR related liability 3,500

    Aircel's AGR liability 124,000

    Videocon's AGR liability 14,000

    Total 873,847 Source: Company, IIFL Research; *Bharti has paid Rs180bn out of this

    Key subsidiaries

    • The key subsidiaries of Bharti saw PAT losses widening in FY20.

    • Airtel Sri Lanka saw a slowdown in revenue and higher PAT loss.

    • Bharti’s Hexacom’s FY20 loss of Rs27bn included AGR provision of Rs22bn. Adjusted for this, PAT was flat.

    • Airtel DTH saw lower revenue due to: 1) content costs being netted off from both revenue and costs; and 2) activation revenue being

    recognized over the life of the customer from FY20 (vs. upfront

    recognition earlier).

    • Airtel DTH PBT jumped 80% YoY but PAT came down YoY as FY19 PAT had benefited from one-time tax credit. OCF saw a sharp jump

    from Rs10bn in FY19 to Rs26bn in FY20. Ebitda growth explained

    1/3rd of this jump with the remaining due to improved WC which in

    turn was recovery of security deposit from a broadcaster.

    • Airtel Payments Bank saw a 2.5x revenue jump and a similar increase in PAT loss to Rs3.7bn. Airtel Payments Bank was an

    associate of Bharti only for 5 months in FY19 hence on an

    annualized basis, the numbers are almost flat for FY20 vs. FY19. In

    FY17 and FY18, PAT loss for Airtel Payment Bank was

    Rs2.4bn/Rs2.7bn, thereby indicating that losses have increased in

    FY19 and FY20.

    • Wynk revenue was down 10% YoY. PAT loss widened from Rs60m to Rs0.6bn. Bharti explained that this was due to change in transfer

    pricing model.

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    Bharti Airtel – BUY

    10

    Figure 16: Performance of key subsidiaries and associates

    Rs m FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20

    Airtel Sri Lanka

    Revenue 3,948 3,838 4,032 4,436 4,552

    PAT (2,643) (2,483) (1,984) (1,622) (2,165)

    Bharti Hexacom

    Revenue 51,878 51,255 44,083 36,136 38,741

    PAT 10,278 6,601 (1,119) (7,220) (27,165)

    Bharti Telemedia (Airtel DTH)

    Revenue 29,178 34,305 37,570 41,001 29,238

    PAT 1,277 1,315 2,829 13,498 3,857

    Airtel Payment Bank

    Revenue 395 264 1,591 1,434 3,798

    PAT (346) (2,443) (2,726) (1,541) (3,721)

    Wynk

    Revenue 490 1,285 2,812 6,130 5,466

    PAT 16 41 141 (60) (628)

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

    Africa – Strong show continues

    In Africa, focus on distribution, data, mobile money, existing customers,

    network, and the right-cost model and people have borne fruit as Bharti

    saw 27% YoY reported Ebitda growth in FY20 in USD terms. Even after

    adjusting for the spreading of customer acquisition costs and Ind-AS

    116, Ebitda growth was robust at 20% and Ebitda has almost doubled in

    USD terms from FY17 levels.

    In all African countries, Bharti has an opco. In some cases, there is a

    mobile money entity, a holdco and a towerco. Bharti reports revenue,

    PBT and PAT for its various Africa subsidiaries.

    Bharti explained that:

    • One should not look at the PBT and PAT losses of these opcos nor add these up as one may have lent to the other.

    • In some cases, there would be a separate towerco, the revenue of which would entail the opco’s cost. A holdco may have extended

    loan to an opco ─ and the holdco will book interest income as

    revenue and the opco will show this as cost, and so on.

    Hence, the PBT and PAT do not provide an underlying picture of the

    business. Opco revenue is the only relevant number.

    It can be seen that

    • Nigeria posted robust revenue growth (24% in each of the past two years in cc terms). In Nigeria, stable market conditions and head-

    start on 4G (vs. the leader MTN) has helped Bharti.

    • Uganda, Malawi, Kenya, DRC and Tanzania are other fast growing markets. Zambia, Niger, Congo B and Madagascar have seen

    declines.

    Airtel Africa had US$3.25bn debt as of end-FY20, of which Bharti has

    provided guarantees for US$2.5bn.

    Figure 17: Nigeria has been the key growth driver in the past 2 years

    Revenue (Rs m) CY17 CY18 CY19 YoY (CY18) YoY (CY19)

    Nigeria 57,112 76,591 92,056 34% 20%

    DRC 13,929 19,157 20,798 38% 9%

    Gabon 9,771 9,506 9,430 -3% -1%

    Tanzania 14,151 14,982 16,441 6% 10%

    Zambia 15,100 11,999 9,077 -21% -24%

    Niger 12,225 10,392 9,039 -15% -13%

    Uganda 20,398 23,594 27,844 16% 18%

    Congo B 11,038 9,193 8,444 -17% -8%

    Kenya 10,813 14,066 15,375 30% 9%

    Chad 8,823 7,637 7,875 -13% 3%

    Malawi 7,610 9,834 11,779 29% 20%

    Madagascar 3,488 3,114 2,636 -11% -15%

    Seychelles 1,551 1,691 1,788 9% 6%

    Rwanda 1,226 3,838 3,481 213% -9%

    Africa 187,235 215,594 236,063 15% 9%

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

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    Bharti Airtel – BUY

    11

    Figure 18: Africa’s performance has significantly improved in the past 3 years

    US$m FY12 FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20

    Revenue 4,137 4,417 4,491 4,407 3,839 3,270 3,091 3,077 3,422

    Ebitda 1,097 1,158 1,175 1,002 807 777 1,031 1,196 1,515

    Ebitda margin* 26.5% 26.2% 26.2% 22.7% 21.0% 23.8% 33.4% 38.9% 44.3%

    FCF** (1,010) (295) (93) (946) (553) (87) 45 151 453

    Source: Company, IIFL Research *Sale of tower assets in FY15 had an adverse impact on Ebitda but Ind-AS adoption from FY20 has offset this **For FY12-18, we have calculated FCF = Ebitda - capex - interest expense – tax; For FY19 and FY20, we have used Airtel Africa’s reported FCF

    Debt profile: Net debt to Ebitda at 4.35x; Adverse regulatory outcomes could take this to 5.4x

    Bharti had consolidated gross debt of Rs1,174bn, as of end-FY20. The

    main observations are:

    Figure 19: Debt maturity profile (end-FY20) – Rs265bn or 22% maturing within a year (vs. 30% as of end-FY19) which is an improvement in liquidity position

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

    Liquidity position improved in FY20: Liquidity position improved as

    of end-FY20 with ~22% of debt maturing in a year vs. ~30% as of end-

    FY19.

    Figure 20: Currency mix of debt - INR debt was steady at 64% YoY

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

    Figure 21: FX sensitivity: Similar to FY19

    FX sensitivity (Rs m) Change P&L impact BS impact Total

    USD-INR 5% (8,017) (10,567) (18,584)

    EUR-INR 5% (2,696) (681) (3,377)

    Total (10,713) (11,248) (21,961)

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

    If we consider the notional FX debt to be 20x the sensitivity to a 5%

    move, we come to Rs439bn, which is 37% of the gross debt, and which

    largely matches the proportion displayed in figure 20 (also disclosed by

    the company). The sensitivity to FX has been largely constant in recent

    years as seen in the below table.

    Figure 22: FX sensitivity to 5% change in USD-INR and EUR-INR

    FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20

    Impact (Rs m) 6,223 7,145 9,178 17,497 23,609 23,044 20,433 21,175 23,336 21,961

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

    265,528

    148,738

    279,559

    487,647

    0

    100,000

    200,000

    300,000

    400,000

    500,000

    600,000

    5 years

    Borrowings (m)

    (Rs m)

    37% 50% 54%

    65% 64%

    46% 38% 34%

    25% 22%

    18% 12% 12% 10% 13%

    0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

    100%

    FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20

    FX-hedged FX- unhedged INR(%)

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    Bharti Airtel – BUY

    12

    Figure 23: Annual PBT hit from 100bps change in interest rates

    Change (bps) PBT impact FY20 (Rs m)

    INR - borrowings 100 (2,166)

    USD – borrowings 100 (644)

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

    We also look at the time-series of sensitivity of PBT to 1% interest rate

    increase in INR, USD and EUR. We also compare the same with the 10-

    year government bond yields in India and the US. The PBT sensitivity

    has come down in recent years. This suggests lesser and progressively

    decreasing proportion of floating rate borrowings, prima facie

    suggesting good positioning when long yields are at rock bottom levels.

    However, the accounting IFRS norms are that PV fluctuations in the

    underlying instrument (e.g. fixed rate bond outstanding) will hit the

    balance sheet directly so this does not give the full picture of sensitivity

    to interest rate fluctuation. But we understand Bharti has reduced the

    interest rate hedges and locked in greater proportion of borrowings in

    low fixed rates.

    Figure 24: Sensitivity of PBT to 1% interest rate increase– In recent years, this has come down suggesting better treasury operations

    FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20

    10-yr Ind. govt bond yield (%)

    7.9% 8.4% 8.2% 8.3% 8.3% 7.7% 7.0% 6.9% 7.7% 6.7%

    10-yr US govt bond yield (%)

    3.1% 2.4% 1.8% 2.5% 2.3% 2.1% 2.0% 2.4% 2.9% 1.8%

    Sensitivity

    (Rs m) 5,121 6,293 6,357 6,742 5,052 4,293 3,495 3,679 3,245 2,810

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

    Effective interest cost rose marginally: In our view, a holistic

    picture of effective cost of borrowing would include interest cost, finance

    charges, FX losses/gains in both the P&L and balance sheet. This

    number rose to 11.1% in FY20 vs. 10.8% in FY19 as seen in the table

    below.

    Figure 25: Finance cost: Effective interest cost marginally rose YoY to 11.1%

    Rs bn FY18 FY19 FY20

    Finance costs incl FX 93 110 137

    FX impact in balance sheet 7 16 -5

    Total finance costs 100 126 132

    Average debt 1,099 1,166 1,192

    Effective finance cost 9.1% 10.8% 11.1%

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

    Figure 26: Including accrued interest, other payables and AGR dues, net debt stood at Rs1602bn as of end-FY20; Out of the total Rs475bn AGR dues, Rs180bn has been paid and already reflects in reported net debt; We add the Rs295bn provided for but not paid

    Rs m FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20

    Reported net debt 970,547 1,001,060 1,129,899 1,188,590

    Accrued interest 7,364 28,341 33,419 8,874

    Payables towards acquisition 4,104 13,523 5,575 4,296

    Advance received against agreement to sell investment

    0 27,317 29,146 34,407

    Perpetual bond*

    71,383

    AGR dues provided for but not paid 295,000

    Adjusted net debt 982,015 1,070,241 1,198,039 1,602,550

    Net debt to TTM Ebitda 2.78 3.56 4.65 4.35

    Net debt to 1YF Ebitda 3.26 4.15 3.25 3.82

    Source: Company, IIFL Research; In the initial 5 years post perpetual bond issue, accounting standards permit treating them as equity

    Figure 27: If all these liabilities were to be added to debt, net debt to Ebitda could rise to ~5.4x

    FY20 Rs m

    Adjusted net debt from Fig 26 1,602,550

    Potential OTSC dues and contingent liabilities from Fig 14 260,847

    Potential AGR dues of Aircel and Videocon 138,000

    Overall net debt 2,001,397

    Net debt to TTM Ebitda 5.43

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

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    Bharti Airtel – BUY

    13

    Figure 28: Net debt/Ebitda: Strong Ebitda growth should bring this to 2.5x by FY23; if one adds AGR dues (including Aircel and Videocon) and OTSC, leverage ratio should still fall below 3x by FY23

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

    AGR dues on traded spectrum pose risks for Bharti and JIO

    With the Supreme Court training its guns on insolvent telcos and

    insisting that telcos that bought spectrum from them are liable for the

    former’s AGR dues, there are risks to Bharti (on spectrum bought from

    Aircel and Videocon) and JIO (on spectrum bought from/shared with

    RCOM). The worst scenario for Bharti would be the SC directing to pay

    the entire Rs138bn (Rs124bn dues of Aircel and Rs14bn dues of

    Videocon as per the latest DoT affidavit).

    Figure 29: In the worst case, AGR dues of Rs138bn of Aircel and Videocon could come on Bharti

    Rs bn Total dues Pending dues

    Bharti incl Telenor 440 260

    Tata 168 126

    Aircel 124 124

    Videocon 14 14

    Total 745 523

    Source: Supreme Court, IIFL Research

    Further to their deal in 2016, JIO-RCOM tried another deal in 2017,

    which included a clause that limited potential liabilities for JIO only to

    those relating to the specific spectrum being bought. DoT had

    challenged this in the Telecom Court, which had ruled in telcos’ favour.

    But the deal did not go through. The 2016 deal liabilities of Rs252bn are

    a risk for JIO.

    Cancellation of traded spectrum may prove a blessing in

    disguise: The worst outcome would be if the SC ordered JIO and Bharti

    to pay. But if it orders them to return the spectrum, it could be a

    blessing in disguise for the telcos since they are likely to bid for fresh,

    clean spectrum with 20 year life at attractive prices in fresh auctions,

    which would be more economical than paying the AGR dues of insolvent

    telcos, even after accounting for the lost value of the cancelled

    spectrum. Ensuring business continuity (Bharti and JIO are using the

    spectrum bought in these deals) would be critical, though, and DoT

    would need to make some arrangements for this.

    We already factor in spectrum renewals in 2021: The first table

    below captures the spectrum expiry schedule of the three large telcos.

    This shows that 7%/8%/17% of Bharti/VIL/JIO’s spectrum (based on

    industry revenue weighted circle average) expires in 2021.

    0.0

    1.0

    2.0

    3.0

    4.0

    5.0

    0

    400

    800

    1,200

    1,600

    2,000

    FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21ii FY22ii FY23ii

    Net debt (LHS) Net debt to Ebitda (RHS)(Rs bn) (x)

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    Bharti Airtel – BUY

    14

    Figure 30: Details of spectrum expiring in 2021

    Spectrum* (MHz) % of total Band Rs bn at reserve price

    Bharti 3.0 7.3% 1800 122

    VIL 3.6 8.3% 1800 107

    JIO 4.6 16.7% 850 225 Source: DoT, IIFL Research; *Revenue weighted average using industry revenue as circle weights

    We build in Rs1trn/Rs800bn total spectrum spending (fresh purchase +

    renewal) for JIO/Bharti over the next 6 years.

    Outlook and TP change

    Window for next round of tariff increase somewhat narrow: In

    the next 2-3 months, it may be difficult to take meaningful tariff

    increases as the spending environment remains weak due to COVID. On

    the other hand, we gather from handset industry sources that work on

    the JIO-Google Android smartphone is making brisk progress and that

    this phone may be launched in the middle of 2021. It is very difficult to

    imagine an industry-wide price hike at a time when JIO is launching an

    affordable handset.

    The SC verdict on AGR would also have a bearing on pricing. In the

    event of an adverse verdict, VIL may be compelled to move NCLT. This

    would put the government in a spot since it has Rs1.5trn to be

    recovered from VIL. Moreover, state-owned banks also have an

    exposure to VIL. All these may pave the way for a restructuring plan

    where the government nudges telcos to raise (and rationalize) tariffs.

    On balance, we think tariff hikes are unlikely for the next 12 months but

    should happen thereafter. But anyway, this would be neutral for Bharti

    since higher tariffs would slow down RMS gains for Bharti at VIL’s

    expense.

    We assign 50%/25% probability of an adverse outcome in AGR

    case/other regulatory issues and build in Rs17/share hit: We

    continue to use DCF-based valuation for Bharti India, at 10% WACC,

    and maintain 8x exit multiple in the terminal year (FY36). Our Africa

    multiple is 7.5x on adjusted EV/Ebitda basis.

    Figure 31: Bharti − India valuation

    DCF - India

    Cost of Debt 10.0%

    Tax Rate 25.0%

    Post Tax Cost of Debt 6.6%

    Debt 32.1%

    WACC 10.5%

    Exit multiple (x) 8.0

    EV (Rs m) 44,788,594

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

    Figure 32: Bharti − Africa valuation

    Item (US$ m) Current

    Adj EV / (Adj Ebitda - Tax) 7.5

    Unadjusted Ebitda 1,505

    Tax 209

    Ebitda - Tax 1,296

    EV 9,720

    EV (Rs bn) 729,025

    Source: IIFL Research

    Figure 33: TP derivation

    (Rs bn) EV Net

    debt

    Equity value

    Holdco discount

    Bharti's stake

    Equity

    val

    Rs per share

    India 4,789 1,004 3,784 0%

    3,784 694

    Africa 729 232 497 20% 56% 222 41

    S Asia

    0 0

    Total

    4,007 734

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

  • gvgiri@i i flcap.com

    Bharti Airtel – BUY

    15

    Figure 34: Minority interest adjustments

    (Rs bn) Methodology

    2-YF metric

    Valuation assumption

    EV Net debt

    Equity val

    Bharti's stake

    Equity value

    for MI

    Rs per share

    Hexacom EV/Ebitda 16 8.0 128 42 86 70% 26 5

    Infratel (SA)

    DCF

    10% WACC, 7x exit in

    FY36 276 (30) 306 54% 142 26

    DTH EV/Ebitda 21 8.0 167 20 147 80% 29 6

    Total

    38 Source: Company, IIFL Research

    Figure 35: We factor in a Rs49/share hit due to the AGR case

    (Rs m)

    Est. AGR case-related hit 475,000

    AGR case-related payment made by Bharti 180,000

    AGR case-related payout est. to be materialised 295,000

    Less: Indemnity payment from Telenor 30,000

    AGR case hit for Bharti 265,000

    PV hit per-share (Rs) 49 Source: Company, IIFL Research

    Figure 36: We build in Rs17/share hit due to regulatory risk

    Rs m Total hit Probability Expected hit

    Potential OTSC provision 206,218 25% 51,555

    3G ICR related liability 3,500 25% 875

    Aircel's AGR liability 124,000 50% 62,000

    Videocon's AGR liability 14,000 50% 7,000

    Total 347,718

    121,430

    Post-tax hit

    91,072

    Per share (Rs) 17

    Source: Company, IIFL Research

    Figure 37: Bharti − TP derivation

    Rs/share

    India 694

    Africa 41

    Less: adjustments for minority interest 38

    Less: adjustments for AGR provisions 49

    Less: perpetual debt of Rs75bn 14

    Less: Other regulatory hit 17

    TP (Rs) 619

    CMP (Rs) 511

    Upside 21.1%

    Dividend per share (Rs) 2.7

    Total Return 21.5% Source: IIFL Research

  • gvgiri@i i flcap.com

    Bharti Airtel – BUY

    16

    Management

    Competition: JIO, Vodafone-Idea, BSNL in India; MTN, Vodacom, Safaricom and Millicom in Africa:

    PE Chart EV/Ebitda

    Background: Bharti Airtel, founded in 1995, is a diversified telecom service provider offering wireless, fixed line, enterprise and DTH services. It

    expanded into Africa by acquiring Zain's Africa operations for US$10.7bn EV in 2010 and is present in 14 African markets. It is India's largest mobile

    operator with 26% subscriber market share and 31% revenue market share as of 4QFY18. It owns 53.51% stake in Bharti Infratel, which in turn owns

    42% stake in Indus Towers, a three-way JV between Bharti, Idea and Vodafone. 4G spectrum in all circles makes it well placed to ride the next wave of

    growth from data.

    Company snapshot

    Name Designation

    Sunil Mittal Chairman

    Gopal Vittal MD & CEO (India and South Asia)

    Raghunath Mandava CEO (Africa)

    3.0

    5.0

    7.0

    9.0

    11.0

    13.0

    15.0

    Apr-09 Jul-11 Oct-13 Jan-16 May-18 Aug-20

    12m fwd EV/EBITDA Avg +/- 1SD

    (x)

    Assumptions

    Y/e 31 Mar, Consolidated

    FY19A FY20A FY21ii FY22ii FY23ii

    India traffic (min bn) 2,811.3 3,034.5 3,330.6 3,741.1 4,152.6

    India Ebitda margin (%) 29.9 41.2 44.2 48.0 50.3

    India capex-to-sales (%) 40.2 32.3 22.9 20.9 18.9

    Africa traffic (min bn) 207.3 250.1 288.8 315.5 338.3

    Africa Ebitda margin (%) 38.9 44.3 40.2 40.5 42.8

    Africa capex-to-sales (%) 21.1 23.7 23.8 18.5 17.0 Source: Company data, IIFL Research

    0.0

    15.0

    30.0

    45.0

    60.0

    75.0

    90.0

    Apr-09 Jul-11 Oct-13 Jan-16 May-18 Aug-20

    12m fwd PE Avg +/- 1SD

    (x)

    India, 73.2

    Africa, 26.3

    South Asia, 0.5

    Geography-wise rev. break-up

    (%) - FY19

    Mobile, 61.8%

    Homes, 3.3%

    Enterprise, 18.5%

    DTH, 6.1%

    Passive infra, 10.3%

    India revenue breakup as of

    FY19

  • gvgiri@i i flcap.com

    Bharti Airtel – BUY

    17

    Financial summary Income statement summary (Rs bn) Y/e 31 Mar, Consolidated FY19A FY20A FY21ii FY22ii FY23ii Revenues 808 879 971 1,101 1,341 Ebitda 258 369 420 513 659 Depreciation and amortisation (213) (277) (298) (319) (341) Ebit 44 92 122 194 318 Non-operating income 34 (376) (95) 21 41 Financial expense (96) (144) (121) (118) (133) PBT (17) (428) (95) 97 226 Exceptionals 0 0 0 0 0 Reported PBT (17) (428) (95) 97 226 Tax expense 34 122 (46) (29) (62) PAT 17 (307) (141) 67 164 Minorities, Associates etc. (13) (15) (17) (13) (27) Attributable PAT 4 (322) (158) 55 137

    Ratio analysis Y/e 31 Mar, Consolidated FY19A FY20A FY21ii FY22ii FY23ii Per share data (Rs) Pre-exceptional EPS 1.0 (17.9) (28.9) 10.0 25.1 DPS 11.7 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 BVPS 212.5 187.2 146.1 140.4 154.6 Growth ratios (%) Revenues (3.2) 8.9 10.4 13.4 21.8 Ebitda (14.3) 43.1 13.9 22.2 28.4 EPS (62.7) (1850.1) 61.3 (134.7) 149.9 Profitability ratios (%) Ebitda margin 31.9 41.9 43.3 46.6 49.1 Ebit margin 5.5 10.4 12.5 17.6 23.7 Tax rate 197.4 28.4 (48.3) 30.3 27.6 Net profit margin 2.1 (34.9) (14.5) 6.1 12.2 Return ratios (%) ROE 0.5 (10.5) (17.4) 7.0 17.0 ROCE 3.8 (11.8) 1.0 8.2 12.9 Solvency ratios (x) Net debt-equity 1.3 1.2 1.6 1.9 1.7 Net debt to Ebitda 4.4 3.3 3.0 2.8 2.2 Interest coverage 0.5 0.6 1.0 1.6 2.4 Source: Company data, IIFL Research

    Balance sheet summary (Rs bn) Y/e 31 Mar, Consolidated FY19A FY20A FY21ii FY22ii FY23ii Cash & cash equivalents 108 273 307 429 409 Inventories 0 0 1 1 1 Receivables 43 46 58 69 84 Other current assets 178 447 415 415 415 Creditors 280 250 247 268 297 Other current liabilities 269 737 774 734 734 Net current assets (220) (221) (241) (88) (122) Fixed assets 904 1,177 1,145 1,084 1,025 Intangibles 1,201 1,159 1,118 1,286 1,454 Investments 0 0 0 0 0 Other long-term assets 318 506 467 467 467 Total net assets 2,203 2,621 2,490 2,749 2,825 Borrowings 1,254 1,482 1,562 1,852 1,850 Other long-term liabilities 99 117 131 131 131 Shareholders equity 849 1,021 797 766 844 Total liabilities 2,203 2,621 2,490 2,749 2,825

    Cash flow summary (Rs bn) Y/e 31 Mar, Consolidated FY19A FY20A FY21ii FY22ii FY23ii Ebit 44 92 122 194 318 Tax paid (12) (23) (18) (29) (62) Depreciation and amortization 213 277 298 319 341 Net working capital change (55) (166) (31) 9 14 Other operating items 10 1 0 0 0 Operating cash flow before interest 201 181 371 493 610 Financial expense (76) (110) (128) (158) (133) Non-operating income 0 0 22 21 41 Operating cash flow after interest 125 71 265 356 518 Capital expenditure (306) (223) (232) (292) (398) Long-term investments 0 0 0 0 0 Others 1 (11) (46) (80) (68) Free cash flow (181) (162) (14) (16) 52 Equity raising 115 502 0 0 0 Borrowings 102 (157) 66 157 (54) Dividend (47) (18) (18) (18) (18) Net chg in cash and equivalents (10) 165 34 122 (20) Source: Company data, IIFL Research

  • gvgiri@i i flcap.com

    Bharti Airtel – BUY

    18

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  • gvgiri@i i flcap.com

    Bharti Airtel – BUY

    19

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  • gvgiri@i i flcap.com

    Bharti Airtel – BUY

    20

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    Price TP/Reco changed date(Rs)

    Bharti Airtel: 3 year price and rating history Date Close price (Rs)

    Target price (Rs)

    Rating

    20 Jul 2020 570 661 BUY

    20 May 2020 599 649 BUY

    13 Apr 2020 490 564 BUY 06 Feb 2020 534 595 BUY

    14 Jan 2020 469 520 BUY

    29 Nov 2019 437 480 BUY

    31 Oct 2019 368 424 BUY

    05 Aug 2019 343 380 BUY

    21 Jun 2019 349 408 BUY 03 Jun 2019 349 419 BUY

    05 Mar 2019 308 335 BUY

    01 Feb 2019 306 353 BUY

    Date Close price (Rs)

    Target price (Rs)

    Rating

    19 Nov 2018 333 342 BUY

    23 Jul 2018 346 444 BUY

    10 Jul 2018 363 503 BUY 18 Apr 2018 382 548 BUY

    22 Jan 2018 498 586 BUY

    02 Nov 2017 538 628 BUY

    10 Aug 2017 416 498 BUY