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Share Name Share Symbol Market Type Share ISIN Share Description
Vodafone Group Plc LSE:VOD London Ordinary Share GB00BH4HKS39 ORD USD0.20 20/21
  Price Change % Change Share Price Shares Traded Last Trade
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  -1.08 -1.06% 100.52 51,141,021 16:35:28
Bid Price Offer Price High Price Low Price Open Price
100.42 100.48 101.98 100.14 101.20
Industry Sector Turnover (m) Profit (m) EPS - Basic PE Ratio Market Cap (m)
Mobile Telecommunications 38,392.86 3,330.53 6.06 15.9 26,974
Last Trade Time Trade Type Trade Size Trade Price Currency
18:07:35 O 42,596 100.758 GBX
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Vodafone (VOD) Latest News (2)

Vodafone News

Date Time Source Headline
06/10/202218:07UKREGVodafone Group Plc Transaction in Own Shares
06/10/202208:30RNSNONVodafone Group Plc SAFARICOM ETHIOPIA SWITCHES ON ITS NETWORK
05/10/202218:10UKREGVodafone Group Plc Transaction in Own Shares
04/10/202218:02UKREGVodafone Group Plc Transaction in Own Shares
03/10/202218:17UKREGVodafone Group Plc Transaction in Own Shares
03/10/202215:18ALNCNewsUPDATE: CK Hutchinson confirms talks with Vodafone over Three merger
03/10/202212:00DJNVodafone in Talks With CK Hutchison Over Vodafone UK Combination With Three
03/10/202211:57ALNCNewsTOP NEWS: Vodafone confirms talks with CK Hutchison about Three merger
03/10/202211:19UKREGVodafone Group Plc Vodafone Confirms Discussions in the UK
03/10/202209:00UKREGVodafone Group Plc Total Voting Rights
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Vodafone Investors    Vodafone Takeover Rumours

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07/10/202218:58Vodaphone - 5G Into The Blue 5,147
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27/7/202215:55VODAFONE IS A MAGGOT24
20/2/202219:59VODAFONE - TARGET OF 65P387
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Posted at 07/10/2022 09:20 by Vodafone Daily Update
Vodafone Group Plc is listed in the Mobile Telecommunications sector of the London Stock Exchange with ticker VOD. The last closing price for Vodafone was 101.60p.
Vodafone Group Plc has a 4 week average price of 99.63p and a 12 week average price of 99.63p.
The 1 year high share price is 141.60p while the 1 year low share price is currently 99.63p.
There are currently 26,834,312,187 shares in issue and the average daily traded volume is 146,602,837 shares. The market capitalisation of Vodafone Group Plc is £26,973,850,610.37.
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Posted at 07/10/2022 14:36 by diku
Now just imagine if another provider comes along and takes away Three deal from VOD...will VOD share price will fall from its current lows?...
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Posted at 24/9/2022 22:46 by waldron
Vodafone looking to sell off large stake in its £12bn phone masts division in what could be one of biggest deals on stock market this year By Ruth Sunderland, Financial Mail On Sunday Published: 21:50 BST, 24 September 2022 | Updated: 22:06 BST, 24 September 2022 Powerful riposte: A sale would enable chief executive Nick Read to reduce the company's huge debt pile Vodafone is looking to sell off a large stake in its £12billion phone masts division in what could be one of the biggest deals on the stock market this year. A sale would enable chief executive Nick Read to reduce the company's huge debt pile, which stands at around £36billion. It would also be a powerful riposte to activist investors who have been critical of his performance and want to see sweeping change at the FTSE100 giant. Vodafone floated its masts business, Vantage Towers, last year on the Frankfurt stock market. The most likely scenario is a 'co-control' deal under which it would sell half of its 82 per cent holding, probably to a private equity purchaser. That would allow it to remove £2.2billion of Vantage's debt from its balance sheet and bring in more than £6billion in cash proceeds, according to analysts at City firm Bernstein. It could add 13.2p to the share price, currently £1.08, Bernstein said. There is no timetable, but a deal could take place before the end of the year. Potential buyers include US buyout barons KKR, Global Infrastructure Partners and Swedish investment firm EQT. He recently agreed the sale of the Hungarian business for £1.6billion and has previously sold off operations in Malta, Qatar and New Zealand. Offloading a multi-billion pound stake in Vantage would dwarf those transactions. It could also help to placate Read's detractors, including activist investor Cevian, which believes he moves too slowly. Another potential thorn in Read's side emerged last week when French billionaire Xavier Niel bought 2.5 per cent of Vodafone through one of his investment funds. Read, who took the helm in 2018, has been under pressure to turn the tide after years of disappointing share price performance. Initially he had hoped to merge Vantage with Deutsche Telekom's masts division, but the German operator ended up plumping for a deal with Canadian and US buyers. As well as the Vantage Towers deal, there has been speculation of a merger between Vodafone's UK operations and mobile operator Three UK. Read is understood to want to spin out the company's internet-of-things business and there are suggestions he could hive off the M-Pesa African mobile money service.
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Posted at 25/7/2022 09:42 by waldron
Jessica Davies proactive 08:03 Mon 25 Jul 2022 viewVodafone Group PLC ( LSE:VOD ) Vodafone boosts revenue 1.6% after UK price increases The mobile phone operator will work with Vantage Towers to tap into mainland Europe where sales revenue lagged Vodafone - Vodafone Group PLC (LSE:VOD) reported revenue growth of 1.6% to nearly €11.28bn for the first quarter of fiscal 2023 in a trading update today. The mobile phone operator said it generated 8.3% growth year on year in the UK market, driven by contractual annual price increases, customer base growth and higher roaming revenue. Mobile service revenue in that market saw the biggest growth of 12.1% year over year to more than €1bn, up from €895mln a year earlier, offsetting declines in other European markets. Nick Read, group chief executive of Vodafone, said: "We have executed in line with our expectations, delivered another quarter of growth in both Europe and Africa, and seen an acceleration in business growth. “Whilst we are not immune to the current macroeconomic challenges, we're on track to deliver financial results for the year in line with our guidance.” Vodafone said it is on track to deliver adjusted underlying earnings (after leases) of between €15bn and €15.5bn and adjusted free cash flow of €5.3bn for the year. Read said its near-term focus on its operational and portfolio priorities “remains unchanged” and that it continues to pursue opportunities with connectivity tower operator Vantage Towers to strengthen its position in Europe. The phone service provider added 18,000 new mobile contract customers in the UK market in the quarter while focusing on implementing price changes. European mobile contract customers reached 66.5mln, up from 65.6mln a year earlier. Service revenue in Spain declined by 2.9%, driven by promotional activity in the value segment and a reduction in mobile termination rates, Vodafone said. Italy revenue also fell by 2.2% as a result of promotions in the mobile value segment, which Vodafone said reflects “higher than usual wholesale” mobile virtual network operator revenue in the fourth quarter of the prior fiscal year. German revenue, where Read said the company had focused on “stabilising” commercial performance fell 0.5% reflecting the impact of the new Telecommunications Act.
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Posted at 19/7/2022 15:14 by waldron
Vodafone to sell its passive mobile tower assets to InfraRed and Northleaf alongside Infratil reinvestment 19 July, 2022 at 3:01 PM Posted by: Shriya Raban Vodafone to sell its passive mobile tower assets to InfraRed and Northleaf alongside Infratil reinvestment Vodafone New Zealand Limited (‘Vodafone NZ’), together with shareholders Infratil Limited (‘InfratilR17;) and Brookfield Asset Management Inc. (‘Brookfield’), announce the sale of Vodafone NZ’s passive mobile tower assets for $1,700 million (€1659.79 million) to funds managed, or advised, by global investors InfraRed Capital Partners (40%) and Northleaf Capital Partners (40%). This represents a FY2023 pro-forma EBITDA multiple of 33.8x. As part of the transaction, Infratil will reinvest to hold 20% in the new TowerCo. The new TowerCo business comprises 1,484 wholly owned mobile towers and will be the largest New Zealand towers business, covering over 98% of New Zealand’s population. Under the terms of the deal, which is subject to Overseas Investment Office approval and completion of certain reorganisation steps, the new TowerCo will enter into a 20-year master services agreement with Vodafone NZ (with extension rights) providing Vodafone with access to both existing and new towers, and a commitment from TowerCo to build at least 390 additional sites over the next ten years to enhance Vodafone’s relative coverage and capacity position. Vodafone will continue to own the active parts of its network, including the radio access equipment and spectrum assets, maintaining a mobile coverage and network position. The new TowerCo structure allows for separate and specialised ownership of the passive mobile towers, providing strong incentives to drive better capital efficiency, which will include increased co-location of equipment on common tower assets. This is essential as demand for data and connectivity continues to grow year on year, driving the importance of more intensified digital infrastructure to meet community needs. It will allow Vodafone to focus on its core strategic objectives, accelerating the roll out of active network technology. Infratil chief executive Jason Boyes says, “We are delighted with this outcome, which highlights again why Vodafone is an excellent Infratil investment. We have unlocked a significant portion of the value of our original equity invested in Vodafone, whilst retaining that investment and a 20% stake in TowerCo. InfraRed Capital Partners and Northleaf Capital are high-calibre investors who share our vision for what the new TowerCo can deliver across New Zealand. The transaction is a win-win for Infratil shareholders.” Brookfield Infrastructure managing director Udhay Mathialagan says, “This transaction is a material milestone in the execution of our strategic program to increase use of assets at Vodafone NZ, releasing capital from the network when it makes sense and conditions are supportive and through targeted partnerships around infrastructure. This partnership will enhance site choices for wireless operators in New Zealand whilst supporting a strong return on our equity invested in Vodafone NZ three years ago” Vodafone CEO Jason Paris says, “We’re pleased at the outcome of the process, which attracted significant interest. Infratil, InfraRed Capital Partners and Northleaf Capital are outstanding investors who share our vision for Aotearoa New Zealand and will help us to accelerate the roll out of critical infrastructure for our customers.” “This is a move that will further increase the coverage, capacity and speed of our network for our customers, making our Smart Network even smarter, which was recently awarded #1 mobile network in New Zealand by independent benchmarking company Umlaut.” The transaction is expected to complete in the fourth quarter of the 2022 calendar year, subject to receipt of Overseas Investment Office approval. Comment on this article below or via Twitter: @VanillaPlus OR @jcvplus
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Posted at 07/7/2022 06:30 by muscletrade
@Nash. a little more on the Deutsche Is Vodafone a growth stock? ... Deutsche Bank's lofty target suggests it is Deutsche’s ‘buy’ recommendation suggests more than 70% upside to the current market price of around 127p. It appears we’ve reached the point in the stock market cycle where buying shares in Vodafone Group PLC (LSE:VOD) is pitched as an investment idea. ‘Buy Vodafone’ may not be the most novel or rousing investment call anybody is likely to encounter, nonetheless, Deutsche Bank today claimed that telecom share that’s ordinarily a staple of long-term portfolios presently offers a short-term opportunity. Moreover, with a price target of 225p, Deutsche’s ‘buy’ recommendation suggests more than 70% upside to the current market price of around 127p. Deutsche Bank analyst Robert Grindle, in a note, said Vodafone is valued favourably compared to its peers. Grindle added there’s “little reason why telcos such as Vodafone won't continue to be a relative safe harbour in difficult markets.” Vodafone is set for a 6.2% dividend yield for the 2023 financial year, outperforming a sector forecast of 4.4%, the analyst noted, who similarly pointed to a predicted free cash flow yield of greater than 10% versus 6.7% for the sector. Evidently, Grindle reckons picking up Vodafone shares as more than a reactionary or defensive play. “If the market rallies, Vodafone shares should not suffer and the group has high exposure to the infrastructure thematic (we expect more deals across the sector), the group's mobile price-volume mix is improving in favour of more flexibility in capital intensity, and management are taking steps to improve operations and value visibility and to grow the business by mid-single digit in the medium term,” Grindle said. He, meanwhile, added: “Vodafone is well-exposed to the infrastructure thematic via [its interest in] Vantage Towers), the deconsolidation of which should prove cathartic (and see leverage below target which could be good for returns) and cable has negligible implied value - which in our opinion is unsustainable.”; In terms of downside threats, the analyst noted that emerging markets risk and forex should be factored in, whilst conversely noting that the telco’s 11-year fixed debt position is supportive. View Price & Profile
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Posted at 01/6/2022 15:42 by car1pet
I wouldn't claim to understand this but it appeared yesterday on sharecast. Berenberg keeps Vodafone at 'hold' following FY results Date: 3:18 pm, 31 May 2022 / Iain Gilbert LONDON - (Sharecast News) - Analysts at Berenberg took a fresh look at telecommunications giant Vodafone following the group's full-year results last Friday. Berenberg said Vodafone's goodwill accounting made "for interesting reading" but stated it would be wrong to assume that impairment testing assumptions were necessarily the same as the group's budgets and noted that it still believes that there are "two fascinating points" to note about Vodafone's goodwill impairment calculations. The analysts pointed out that Vodafone's German projected five-year EBITDAaL CAGR of -0.1% was well below consensus and down from +1.2% last year, with the company explaining that the measure was "expressed as the compound annual growth rates in the initial five years for all cash-generating units of the plans used for impairment testing" "In our model, we forecast a +0.7% five-year German EBITDAaL CAGR, while Visible Alpha consensus currently sits at +1.3%," said Berenberg, which made no changes to its 'hold' rating and £1.45 target price on the stock. The German bank also pointed out that an Italian impairment was only avoided by increasing the long-term growth rate assumption for analysing the division to +1.5% from +0.5% in last year's annual report despite the Italian service witnessing revenue decline of 1.8% in 2021/22. "This change in assumption is made more interesting when we look at the sensitivity analysis, which shows that a 0.3% reduction in the long-term growth rate would lead to an impairment loss," said Berenberg, which also pointed out that a one percentage point decrease to the group's long-term Italian growth rate would lead to a €600.0m impairment, in the context of Vodafone Italy carrying €2.5bn of goodwill overall. Berenberg also noted that Vodafone's three-year adjusted free cash flow targets had not yet been agreed, with details of the final range to be disclosed in the relevant market announcement at the time of grant and published in Vodafone's 2023 directors' remuneration report. However, it said there were "no big surprises" in the rest of executive pay, with the remuneration framework remaining the same as 2021 and "broadly appropriate". The bank also noted that the report's risk section evolution highlighted Vodafone's key challenges, with Vodafone continuing to outline ten risks, the same number as in last year's report, but with that in mind, Berenberg did note that the balance and weighting of the risks had evolved. "Interestingly, Vodafone now suggests that the risk of 'disintermediation' is increasing if Vodafone fails to effectively respond to threats from emerging technology or disruptive business models. Last year, this risk was said to be stable. 'Supply-chain disruption' is new, albeit replacing the similar 'geopolitical risk in supply chain' in last year's report. Similarly, 'technology resilience and future readiness' is new, albeit similar to 'technology failures' and 'IT transformation' from last year," said Berenberg. "'Infrastructure competitiveness' and 'portfolio transformation' are both new. We think that the latter is particularly relevant, given investor frustration at Vodafone's lack of progress after its overt messaging regarding M&A at the H1 results in November. Vodafone describes the risk as being 'failure to effectively execute on plans to transform and shape the portfolio could result in failure to deliver growth in revenue and improved returns' and identifies emerging threats that the 'regulatory approach to in-market consolidation may not change in the direction expected, limiting opportunities for value accretive in-market consolidation'." Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
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Posted at 15/5/2022 12:02 by sarkasm
Https://www.climateaction.org/news/vodafone-agrees-10-year-solar-ppa-to-secure-clean-and-affordable-energy Vodafone agrees 10 year solar PPA to secure clean and affordable energy Vodafone and Centrica have announced the signing of a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with MYTILINEOS S.A for the output from three solar farms under construction in England, with a total capacity of 110MW. 13 May 2022 Press Release Vodafone and Centrica have announced the signing of a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with MYTILINEOS S.A for the output from three solar farms under construction in England, with a total capacity of 110MW. The 10-year agreement for power generated from the solar farms, in Lincolnshire, Worcestershire and Nottinghamshire, secures clean energy and supports Vodafone’s ambition to achieve net zero UK operations by 2027. Vodafone will purchase a significant proportion of the electricity output from the solar farms, securing their development and bringing additional renewable power provision to the UK grid. Energy generation is expected to begin by end 2022. The deal, between Vodafone, Centrica as the energy trading expert and MYTILINEOS’ Renewables & Storage Development Business Unit as the generator, supports the UK government’s ambition to focus on home-grown, clean and more affordable energy and so boost long-term energy independence and security. Power Purchase Agreements are key to Vodafone’s renewable energy procurement strategy. This is the second such agreement, and follows the development of two onshore wind farms, in Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire, which together supply 75 gigawatt hours of renewable electricity per year. Approximately 55GWh of green electricity will be dedicated to Vodafone UK, with the remainder being sold to balancing and merchant power markets through Centrica’s Energy Marketing & Trading business. Building on the longstanding customer relationship between Vodafone and Centrica, the agreement will help Vodafone effectively price hedge their energy supply needs whilst achieving sustainability benefits from carbon savings recorded against Vodafone’s Science Based Targets (SBTi). The deal reaffirms Centrica’s expertise in and commitment to supporting the growth of sustainable energy systems across Europe through providing market leading route-to-market services. Trading, optimising and balancing renewable energy is the core of Centrica’s expertise. Ahmed Essam, UK CEO, Vodafone, said: “Achieving our ambitious net zero targets is a critical part of our company strategy. Already, our entire business in the UK and Europe is powered by 100% renewable electricity. Today’s announcement ensures a significant proportion of our energy requirement, for at least the next 10 years, is home-grown in the UK.” Read the full article
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Posted at 12/5/2022 11:47 by spud
Vodafone in talks to combine UK arm with CK Hutchison’s Three https://www.ft.com/content/c4f9aac3-94f0-4d4b-ae9b-5b9e97fbc2d1 Telecoms group Vodafone is in talks to combine its UK operations with its domestic rival Three UK, the mobile operator owned by Hong Kong infrastructure conglomerate CK Hutchison, people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The deal, if it materialised, would herald the latest attempt to consolidate the British mobile market as Vodafone faces pressure from Europe’s largest activist investor, Cevian Capital, to simplify its business, pursue deals in national markets and improve returns. A combination of Vodafone UK and Three UK would bring together the third and fourth largest mobile network operators in Britain, though any deal to reduce the number of leading brands from four to three would trigger scrutiny from competition authorities. Industry executives are hopeful that regulators’ increased awareness of the need to invest in network infrastructure has made them more amenable to mergers than they were in 2016, when the European Commission blocked a proposed merger between O2 and Three. European telecoms groups have struggled over the past decade, with strong competition and consumer-friendly regulation weighing on earnings. Although Vodafone’s share price has rallied by 3 per cent since the start of the year, the company has shed 44 per cent of its value over the past five years. Three, meanwhile, has struggled to gain scale over the past few years, despite ambitions to double its size. Though the company has enjoyed an increase in net new customers since mid-2020, it has not managed to translate those gains into significant revenue growth. Last week, the company reported flat quarter-on-quarter revenues of £582mn. Over the past year, Vodafone chief executive Nick Read has been vocal about his desire to pursue deals in countries he believes suffer from an excess of market competition, including Spain, Italy and the UK. The exact structure being discussed between Vodafone and CK Hutchison could not be learnt, though Read has said on many occasions that he is focused on pursuing combinations more than outright purchases, given his ambitions to reduce the group’s debt. Earlier this year, analysts at Enders Analysis noted that Vodafone’s “lack of funding capacity” suggested that in the UK it could look to “form a joint venture with the potential to contribute additional debt or receive cash equalisation payments to assist with leverage reduction”. Analysts had previously speculated that Vodafone could seek to buy Three but noted that it would need to meet CK Hutchison’s hefty price expectations for the privilege of consolidating the market. Discussions between the two companies also took place last year, the Financial Times has previously reported, though they did not lead to a deal. CK Hutchison did not respond to a request for comment. Vodafone declined to comment. Vodafone announced on Thursday that it had appointed Lord Stephen Carter, the chief executive of business intelligence group Informa who served as the first chief executive of Ofcom, as a new non-executive director to its board. He also served as chief of strategy for then prime minister Gordon Brown and as minister for communications, technology and broadcasting between 2008 and 2009. spud
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Posted at 06/5/2022 15:26 by vodman1
Reason for Hope? Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour. https://www.ft.com/content/a577ed52-03a3-41c0-84df-abf55cd5f7a0 Vodafone, the UK telecoms group under pressure from an activist investor, has strengthened its board with two appointments including the former chief executive of Arm. Simon Segars, who stepped down as head of the UK-based chip business three months ago and Delphine Cunci, an industry heavyweight in France, will join Vodafone’s board as non-executives after the annual meeting on July 26. Europe’s largest activist fund Cevian Capital has been pushing the mobile group to refresh its management, which it believes has insufficient experience. The investor has an undisclosed stake in Vodafone and is keen for a major overhaul, including shedding poor performing businesses and consolidating in key markets as well as beefing up the board. Vodafone’s share price, which was down 2 per cent in London trading on Friday, has shed nearly 15 per cent over the past 12 months and about half its value since a high in June 2015. Still, it has recovered nearly 40 per cent from August 2020, when it was wallowing at the lowest level since 2002. In February, Vodafone rejected an €11bn bid for its Italian business from French rival Iliad, owned by Xavier Niel. Vodafone chair Jean-François van Boxmeer said Segars and Cunci were “well respected leaders who bring extensive experience and track records of value creation across the telecoms, technology and media sectors”. Segars stepped down from Arm after a nine-year stint in February, when SoftBank’s $66bn sale of the UK-based chip business to Nvidia collapsed on regulatory concerns. The deal’s failure brought an immediate management shake-up and Segars was replaced by Rene Haas, head of the company’s intellectual property unit. “He successfully led [Arm] since 2013 and generated significant value for investors during his tenure,” Vodafone’s statement said on Friday. Segars joined Arm in 1991 as an engineer and before that was at Standard Telephones and Cables, a former FTSE 100 technology company. Cunci has been president of France Télévisions, the national public television broadcaster, since 2015. Before that she spent 26 years at Orange, becoming deputy chief executive in 2010 to lead a turnround of the group’s French unit.
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Posted at 23/4/2022 15:53 by vodman1
Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour. https://www.ft.com/content/658e0a26-3f85-4a41-9a0a-2d0379dd974d Investors in Vodafone are urging the FTSE 100 telecoms group to speed up long-awaited deal making to improve its stuttering performance. Chief executive Nick Read has been under increased pressure since it emerged in January that Europe’s biggest activist investor, Cevian Capital, had taken a stake in the company and is angling for a major overhaul of the group, including shedding poor performing businesses, consolidating in key markets and beefing up telecoms expertise on the board. The past decade has been tough for European telecoms, with fierce competition and tight regulation weighing on earnings. Although Vodafone’s share price has rallied since the start of the year, the company has shed more than a third of its value over the past five years. For several months Vodafone has told investors that it would pursue deals with rival groups in markets where there is significant competition, such as Spain, Italy and the UK — but so far it has been unable to pull any of these off. “Vodafone’s failure to do a deal has been a problem,” said Peter Schoenfeld, founder of New York-based hedge fund PSAM, one of the company’s shareholders. “It’s not like they’re not focused on the right areas and trying to pursue opportunities. It’s that they’re executing poorly.” In February, Vodafone rejected an €11bn bid for its Italian business from French rival Iliad, owned by Xavier Niel, saying it was “not in the best interests of shareholders”. Then, after months of negotiations with Spain’s challenger telecoms group over a potential sale of its Spanish business, MasMovil turned its back on Vodafone in favour of a merger with Orange’s Spanish business. Schoenfeld added that it was “particularly worrying that Vodafone senior management has made no public comments or engagement in recent weeks — not even a statement on a missed opportunity in Spain”. One top 20 investor said: “We have serious doubts that the company can re-establish credibility with its legacy CEO and his strategy. There have been too many disappointments and missed opportunities.” Another top 20 shareholder said that over the past nine months Read, a company veteran who became CEO in 2018, had “come quite a long way, matured and grown into the role,” but said that some shareholders were “unconvinced on whether he has the true leadership qualities to be the best chief executive for Vodafone”. Another shareholder said that he was “disappointed” that Vodafone had “missed opportunities”. He urged the company to crack on with deals noting that in some markets, antitrust considerations mean that there are limited numbers of options. “If you reject an opportunity and someone else does it, you’re limiting your options and putting yourself into a corner,” he said. Harry Richards and Adam Darling, managers of the Jupiter Corporate Bond Fund, which has a position in Vodafone’s debt, said “we appreciate management’s intentions to simplify and de-lever the business” and that they were broadly comfortable with the company’s strategy. But they added: “We would like to see some tangible progress through actual news of deals.” Some investors are pushing for Vodafone to sell a stake in its infrastructure group Vantage Towers, which it spun out last year. Read has been clear that he is currently seeking a deal for the towers business, with a preference to pursue an industrial merger with Orange’s Totem business, or Deutsche Telekom. Most investors argue that a towers deal will make a material difference to Vodafone’s performance, reducing debt while freeing up cash to invest. Other telecoms groups like Altice have spun off towers businesses at rich valuations. PSAM’s Schoenfeld said that he wants the board to “direct management to emphasise a significant cash transaction for Vantage”. This would “transform Vodafone’s balance sheet, narrow the sum of the parts discount and facilitate the pursuit of new strategic options,” and potentially a capital return to shareholders, he added.  One shareholder said that while a change in chief executive might set Vodafone back again in terms of missed opportunities, “if Read doesn’t get something done soon with the towers . . . then his days are numbered”. Vodafone said in a statement that it remains “open and pragmatic when considering in-market consolidation” and it is “exploring multiple opportunities across a number of markets”. The statement added: “We will not execute fire sales and we’ll always be seeking value accretive transactions that clearly benefit our shareholders.” Vodafone said that it regularly updates shareholders on its strategy and will do so further at its full-year results next month.
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