Bharti Airtel Q4 Results: Net Profit Slips 25% But Beats Estimates, ARPU Flat

Bharti Airtel Ltd.'s consolidated net profit fell 25% sequentially in the fourth quarter of financial year 2025, but stood firmly higher than what was projected by analysts.

The telecom giant reported a bottom-line of Rs 11,022 crore during the January-March period, as compared to Rs 14,781.2 crore in the previous quarter, according to an exchange filing on Tuesday. Analysts tracked by Bloomberg had a consensus estimate of Rs 6,509 crore.

In the preceding quarter, the profit had risen due to an exceptional gain amounting to Rs 7,545.6 crore.

The average revenue per user in the March quarter came in at Rs 245, which is flat as compared to the October-December period.

• Revenue rose 6% to Rs 47,876 crore versus Rs 45,129 crore (Bloomberg estimate: Rs 48,502 crore).

• Ebitda profit up 10% to Rs 27,009 crore versus Rs 24,597 crore (Estimate: Rs 26,803 crore).

• Margin at 56.4% versus 54.5% (Estimate: 55.3%).

• Net profit fell 25% to Rs 11,022 crore versus Rs 14,781.2 crore (Estimate: Rs 6,509 crore).

• ARPU is at flat at Rs 245.

The company's board also declared a final dividend of Rs 16 per share for financial year 2024-25.

Bharti Airtel's India operations demonstrated strong growth on a year-over-year basis, according to a press release. The revenue for the India segment increased by 29% to reach Rs 36,735 crore. Further, the Ebitda for the India business saw a rise of 44%, amounting to Rs 22,024 crore. This rise has resulted in a margin of 60%.

The capital expenditure for the India region during the quarter stood at Rs 12,553 crore.

In Bharti Airtel's Africa operations, the revenue when measured in constant currency, saw growth of 23.2% compared to the previous year. The Ebitda margin for the Africa segment, also in constant currency, improved to 47.5%.

The customer base in Africa reached 166 million subscribers. The capital expenditure for the region during the quarter was at Rs 1,848 crore.

Before the quarterly results were declared, Bharti Airtel's stock closed 2.68% lower at Rs 1,820.6 apiece on NSE, compared to a 1.39% decline in the benchmark index Nifty 50.

The stock has risen 41.58% in the last 12 months and 14.67% on a year-to-date basis.

Twenty nine out of the 34 analysts tracking the company have a 'buy' rating on the stock, three recommend a 'hold' and two suggest a 'sell', according to Bloomberg data. The 12-month analysts' consensus target price on the stock is Rs 1,885.8, implying a potential upside of 3.6%.