Vodafone Idea A 'Ticking Timebomb'? Technical And Fundamental Experts Share Views — Buy, Sell Or Hold?

Fundamental and technical analysts speaking to NDTV Profit have shared their views on Vodafone Idea after the cash-strapped telecom company confirmed receiving relief from the Department of Telecommunications in relation to their AGR-linked dues.

Although telecom analyst Piyush Pandey has hailed the relief as a huge boost for Vodafone Idea, fundmental and technical experts remain rather cautious.

Kush Bohra, founder of Kushbohra.com, offered a technical view of Vodafone Idea, suggesting investors to hold their current position.

"Since September, Vodafone Idea has experienced significant growth, nearly doubling from its base level of Rs. 6. However, since late December, the stock has been consolidating around Rs. 12.

"Options data indicate substantial congestion at the 12 call option. Investors are advised to maintain their positions with a stop-loss set at Rs. 11.3," he said.

Sameer Dalal of Natverlal & Sons Stockbrokers, a fundamental analyst, believes Vodafone Idea is a 'ticking time bomb' and investors should avoid the stock despite the relief from the government.

"Making an investment based on relief by governments is never something a fundamental investor would like to make. Equity has become so large and payments are only being pushed back. It's like a ticking timebomb and I would avoid investment," he said.

Meanwhile, Aditya Arora, Founder and Multi Asset Research Analyst, Adlytick.in, offered a balanced view, arguing that both fundamentals and price action are moving in the same direction for Vodafone Idea.

"The bottom line is that fundamentals are gradually improving and technicals are clearly bullish on weekly charts. Derivatives data support strong downside protection as well, while the government ownership adds a margin of safety," he said.

"Vodafone Idea is no longer a pure survival bet it's now a turnaround-in-progress story, with both price action and fundamentals moving in the same direction," he concluded.

Out of 22 analysts tracking the company, five maintain a 'buy' rating, seven recommend a 'hold,' and ten suggest 'sell,' according to Bloomberg data. The average 12-month consensus price target of Rs 9.25 implies a downside of 22.7%.