Bharti Hexacom shares fall 3.5% after Motilal Oswal downgrade

Mumbai: Bharti Hexacom's shares dropped over 3.5 per cent to Rs1,810 on Friday during the intra-day trading session on the National Stock Exchange (NSE), after brokerage firm Motilal Oswal downgraded the stock from a 'Buy' to a 'Neutral' rating and set a target price of Rs1,900.

The brokerage said the downgrade was mainly due to the stock's high valuation, which is currently around 40 per cent more expensive than Bharti Airtel. "Risk-reward no longer attractive; downgrade to Neutral," said the brokerage.

Motilal Oswal believes this makes the risk-reward profile less attractive for investors, even though the company continues to show strong performance and growth through premium services.

It expects Bharti Hexacom to become debt-free (excluding lease liabilities) by the financial year 2027. The brokerage also predicts that the company’s dividend will rise from Rs10 per share in FY25 to Rs30 per share by FY27.

The average revenue per user (ARPU) is expected to go up from Rs242 in FY25 to Rs284 by FY27, supported by a likely tariff hike in December 2025. Beyond FY28, the brokerage expects ARPU to grow at a slower rate of 5.5 per cent annually, while overall revenue and EBITDA growth may settle around 7 per cent.

However, the firm added that any significant boost in valuation will depend on ARPU growing faster than expected. Motilal Oswal also flagged some concerns. Bharti Hexacom’s operations are concentrated in a few telecom circles, which could limit further growth.