Vodafone has reported full-year revenue growth of 0.3%, to €45.7bn. That was driven by growth in Africa and higher equipment sales, offset by lower European service revenue.
Underlying cash profit fell 1.3% to €14.7bn, lower than previous guidance, as revenue growth was offset by higher energy costs.
There was a free cash inflow of €1.4bn, down from €3.3bn the prior year. Net debt decreased by €8.2bn to €33.4bn, largely due to a net gain of €8.7bn from acquisitions and disposals.
For the new financial year, Vodafone expects to generate underlying cash profit of €13.3bn. New CEO, Margherita Della Valle, said performance was "not good enough" and outlined her plan to improve it - which includes cutting around 11,000 jobs over the next three years.
The board has proposed a final dividend of 4.5 cents per share.
The shares fell 3.2% in early trading.
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Our view
Vodafone's full-year results didn't buck the trend of lacklustre performance. Higher energy costs and continued weakness in Germany meant underlying cash profit came in below the recently downgraded company guidance.
New CEO, Margherita Della Valle, has been very vocal about the host of challenges she faces - the honesty is refreshing but not enough to keep shares from falling on the news.
Sales in the telecom sector should be relatively robust, as broadband and mobile services are hardly optional. Yet, over the last ten years, telecom giants have had to pump huge sums of cash into building out fibre networks and snapping up parts of the 5G spectrum. The main challenge has been the low sales growth relative to spending when you look at telecoms compared to other sectors.
Vodafone's not only had the structural headwinds to battle, but it's also been underperforming versus peers on a relative level. Service revenue growth and customer satisfaction in key areas like Germany, Italy and Spain have struggled to keep pace with peers.
In response, Vodafone has outlined an evolved. Initiatives include cutting around 11,000 jobs over the next three years, streamlining operations and focusing on growing the Vodafone Business division which has been a shining light.
We welcome the change, but there's a lot to do.
Service revenue growth is slowing in many of the most important markets across Europe. The key market of Germany is a perfect example of the challenges at hand. After more than €20bn of investment, growth trends continue to decline. IT systems have been slow to adapt to new regulation, and network performance continues to lag competitors. A new management team in Germany is in place, which we support, it now needs to deliver.
Outside Europe, the Vodacom subsidiary has some exciting growth opportunities in Africa, including M-Pesa which offers mobile financial services. Vodacom's targeting mid-high single digit cash profit growth over the next few years. Africa could become increasingly important as the region develops, and Vodafone's leading position in several markets means it's well positioned to benefit.
There was a positive move in net debt, which stands at €33.4bn - sitting in a range the new CEO says she's comfortable with. For us, it's still a little lofty and, while operating cash flow is stable, cash demands are high. We aren't immediately concerned about the dividend. Free cash flow for the new year is expected to cover the dividend payments, but when forward yields are north of 8%, caution is advised. Remember, no dividends are guaranteed.
All-in-all then, while we think the portfolio changes and new strategy make sense, the fundamental challenges that go with being a telecom remain. And with growth hard to come by, we'll need to see sustained positive progress before getting too excited.
Vodafone key facts
All ratios are sourced from Refinitiv. Please remember yields are variable and not a reliable indicator of future income. Keep in mind key figures shouldn't be looked at on their own - it's important to understand the big picture.
This article is original Hargreaves Lansdown content, published by Hargreaves Lansdown. It was correct as at the date of publication, and our views may have changed since then. Unless otherwise stated estimates, including prospective yields, are a consensus of analyst forecasts provided by Refinitiv. These estimates are not a reliable indicator of future performance. Yields are variable and not guaranteed. Investments rise and fall in value so investors could make a loss.
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