Sector Alpha Week of 2026-07-24
Sector Alpha — machine-written from the numbers · Data as of 2026-07-24

Bharti Airtel Ltd

BHARTIARTL
Telecom Services

Bharti Airtel Ltd's three tracks disagree. Price, valuation and the earnings engine each tell a different story — the next quarter or two settles it.

The sharpest disagreement: the price moved +0.4% in a year while annual EPS moved −25.6% — the difference is re-rating, and re-rating has to be repaid with earnings.

The price is in a downtrend (16 weeks in) while the P/E sits at the 28th percentile of its own 10-year range. Underneath, the last four quarters read improving — profit −25.9% year on year, and 375% of the last 3 years' profit arrived as cash. What settles it: whether earnings grow into a price that has already moved.

Stage
Mixed
fundamental trajectory, 12 quarters
Price
₹1,909
+0.4% 1Y
P/E
44.5×
28th pctile
of its own 10-year range
Revenue (Mar 26)
₹55,383 Cr
+15.7% YoY
Profit (Mar 26)
₹9,247 Cr
−25.9% YoY
Operating margin
57.0%
+1.0 pp YoY
ROCE
18%
FY26
ROIC
14.4%
vs WACC 12.0% → +2.4 pp
Cash conversion
375%
of profit, last 3 FY
01 · Price story

Price story Before the numbers, the tape. A stock price moves through four repeating seasons: a flat base (stage 1), an advance (2), a top (3), a decline (4). Where the price sits in that cycle frames everything below.

Bharti Airtel Ltd trades at ₹1,909, in a downtrend and 16 weeks into that stage. That is +0.7% against its own 200-day average. It sits at 34% of a 52-week range of ₹1,775 to ₹2,163. On relative strength it is currently behind the NIFTY 500 on a trailing-13-week view (2 weeks and counting).

Today the stock is in a downtrend — week 16 of stage 4. At ₹1,909 it trades +0.7% versus its 200-day average and sits at 34% of its 52-week range (₹1,775–₹2,163).

Jul 26: ₹1,909 Weekly closing price (₹) with 50- and 200-day averages; shaded bands mark the price stage (grey base, green advance, amber top, red decline). 3-year window.
+0.7% versus the 200-day line, week 16 of stage 4
Price50-day avg200-day avg
S2S4₹2,272₹1,875₹1,478₹1,081₹684₹1,909₹1,895Jul 23Apr 24Jan 25Oct 25Jul 26
S2S4₹2,272₹1,875₹1,478₹1,081₹684₹1,909₹1,895Jul 23Jan 25Jul 26
Beating or trailing, week by week since 2016 Each cell is one week from 2016 to now (544 weeks): the stock's trailing 13-week return minus the NIFTY 500's, green ahead / red behind (±25% ramp). Grey cells are the 13-week warm-up or weeks where the NIFTY 500 reading is not held.
trailing 13-week return vs the NIFTY 500
Mar 16Jul 26

Against the market, two honest reads. Cumulative: over the last 10.3 years the stock moved +528% while the NIFTY 500 moved +274% — ahead of the index over the full window. Recent form: on a trailing-13-week view the stock is currently behind (2 weeks and counting; last ahead the week of 2026-07-03) — the ribbon below is that same metric, week by week.

What would end the trend, mechanically: two Friday closes in a row below the 200-day line. That is the exit rule — no debates.

→ The trend is one thing; the bill is another. Are you paying up for it? Next: the P/E sits at the 28th percentile of its own range.

02 · Valuation

Valuation P/E is the price of ₹1 of annual profit: how many rupees the market pays for each rupee the company earns in a year.

Bharti Airtel Ltd trades at 44.5× P/E, near the bottom of its own range — cheaper only 28% of the time. Its long-run median P/E is 59.8×, measured across 10.4 years of weekly readings. This places the multiple against the stock’s own record, and says nothing about what the business is worth.

Today's P/E of 44.5× is near the bottom of its own range — cheaper only 28% of the time, against a long-run median of 59.8× measured over 10.4 years of weekly readings. This is a comparison against the stock's own history — not a claim about what it is worth.

One caveat before moving on: margins are the best this company has ever printed — cheap against its own history on record margins is not the same thing as cheap. If profitability mean-reverts, today's multiple is higher than it looks.

P/E 44.5× vs a 59.8× long-run median P/E, weekly (left axis); earnings per share, trailing twelve months, weekly (right axis). 10.4-year window; loss-period spikes above 179× shown pinned at the top. The eps (ttm) bars are red where the reading is lower than the quarter before.
near the bottom of its own range — cheaper only 28% of the time
P/EMedianEPS (TTM) (quarterly)
191.8×₹61.0146.8×₹45.7101.8×₹30.556.8×₹15.211.8×₹0.0×43.50×₹44Mar 16Jun 18Jan 22May 24Jul 26
191.8×₹61.0146.8×₹45.7101.8×₹30.556.8×₹15.211.8×₹0.0×43.50×₹44Mar 16Jan 22Jul 26
PEG 1.79 PEG ratio per quarter — the P/E divided by the earnings-growth rate. The dashed line marks 1.0: below it the growth is cheap against the multiple, above it the price already prices the growth in. Computed here as quarter-end P/E ÷ trailing-twelve-month EPS growth (only quarters with positive growth), because a reported quarterly PEG is not held for this stock. Last 10 quarters.
above 1.0, the multiple already banks the growth
PEGPEG = 1.0
5.4×4.1×2.7×1.4×0.0××1.79×Q1 FY24Q3 FY24Q2 FY25Q4 FY25Q3 FY26
5.4×4.1×2.7×1.4×0.0××1.79×Q1 FY24Q2 FY25Q3 FY26
P/E
44.5×
28th percentile of 10y
PEG
1.70
derived from 3-year earnings growth

🚨 Why the multiple sits where it does: over the past year annual EPS moved −25.6% against a +0.4% price move — the price outran earnings, pushing the multiple UP its own range.

The price move, decomposed: over 5y, of the +29.2%/yr price move, ~+88.2%/yr came from earnings growth and ~−59.0 pp from the multiple (compressing); over 10y, of the +18.8%/yr price move, ~+15.2%/yr came from earnings growth and ~+3.6 pp from the multiple (expanding). The split is the honest approximate (price return minus earnings growth); it makes the rally itself visible instead of hiding it behind the percentile.

Put together: the multiple is low against its own past, so the story rests on the earnings line underneath it, not the multiple.

→ Cheap or dear rides on the earnings. Are they actually growing? Next: the fundamental stage — where the business sits in its arc, and how growth has compounded.

03 · Stage: Mixed

Stage: Mixed Every business sits somewhere on a fundamental arc, and this page names the spot before anything else. The last twelve quarters of revenue, profit and EPS growth — plus the return the business earns on its capital — are read as curves: Deteriorating (the curves are falling), Turning around (a trough has just formed and the last few quarters lift off it), Improving (the climb off the trough is sustained), Consistent (steadily positive with healthy returns), Topping out (still high but decelerating from the peak). When the curves genuinely disagree the read is Mixed; too little history is No read. CAGR (compound annual growth rate) is the smooth yearly pace that turns the starting value into the latest one — the fairest way to compare growth across different time spans. Read the columns together: if the 1-year number towers over the 10-year, recent growth is running hotter than the long-run trend. A dash means that window is not held, or the base year was a loss (where a growth rate is not meaningful).

Bharti Airtel Ltd reads as mixed on its fundamental arc. Mixed — no clean majority across the growth curves, ROCE lifting at 18.8% — the per-curve reads carry the story. The read is built from 12 quarters across 4 curves, on full evidence.

Three growth curves, twelve quarters Year-on-year growth of trailing-twelve-month revenue (left axis), profit and EPS (right axis — they swing far wider), % at each quarter-end. Base-effect spikes shown pinned (▲). A missing point means that reading is not held for the quarter.
the trajectory the stage is read from
RevenueProfitEPS
27%326%21%232%15%139%9.3%46%3.5%−48%%%22%−9.8%−21.9%Jun 23Sep 24Mar 26
27%326%21%232%15%139%9.3%46%3.5%−48%%%22%−9.8%−21.9%Jun 23Sep 24Mar 26
ROCE Trailing-twelve-month operating profit (before interest and tax) as a share of average capital employed — total assets minus current liabilities, the standard textbook basis, %.
the return curve, computed quarterly
ROCE
20%17%14%11%8.2%%18.8%Jun 23Sep 24Mar 26
20%17%14%11%8.2%%18.8%Jun 23Sep 24Mar 26
Revenue growth
Steady high
latest +22.0% · span +5.1% to +25.2%
Profit growth
Falling
latest −9.8% · span −19.2% to +338.0%
EPS growth
Falling
latest −21.9% · span −21.9% to +343.5%
ROCE
Rising
latest 18.8% · span 9.0%–18.8%

Why it matters: when the curves disagree, the per-curve reads above matter more than any single verdict.

Growth, year by year: revenue +22.0% in FY26, profit −9.8% Year-over-year growth per fiscal year, %: revenue (left axis); net profit and EPS (right axis — profit growth swings far wider). Zero line drawn. Turnaround-year spikes shown pinned (▲).
Revenue YoYProfit YoYEPS YoY
25%348%15%174%4.3%0.0%−6.0%−174%−16%−348%%%22%−9.8%FY16FY21FY26
25%348%15%174%4.3%0.0%−6.0%−174%−16%−348%%%22%−9.8%FY16FY21FY26
TTM growth by quarter Trailing-twelve-month growth versus the year-ago TTM, per quarter, %: revenue (left axis); profit and EPS (right axis). The acceleration read compares the last 4 quarters (+22.0%) with the last 8 annualized (+18.6%). Spikes shown pinned (▲).
revenue accelerating, profit rolling over
Revenue TTM YoYProfit TTM YoYEPS TTM YoY
27%326%21%232%15%139%9.3%46%3.5%−48%%%22%−9.8%Jun 23Sep 24Mar 26
27%326%21%232%15%139%9.3%46%3.5%−48%%%22%−9.8%Jun 23Sep 24Mar 26
Compound annual growth rate (%) Compound annual growth rate over each window, %. Revenue, profit and EPS from fiscal-year figures; share price is the price CAGR over the same spans. A dash = that window is not held, or the base was a loss.
1yr3yr5yr10yr
Revenue+22.0%+14.9%+16.0%+8.1%
Profit−9.8%+40.1%+17.2%
EPS−25.6%+43.0%+14.8%
Share price+0.4%+29.1%+29.2%+18.8%
Revenue YoY (Mar 26)
+15.7%
latest quarter vs a year ago
Profit YoY (Mar 26)
−25.9%
latest quarter vs a year ago
Revenue 10y
8.1%
long-run compound pace

→ The stage names the trajectory. Next: the revenue line that produces it, quarter by quarter.

04 · 4-Factor Sector Score

4-Factor Sector Score

68.4/100 — rank 2 of 18 in Telecom Services · 83% evidence confidence

Bharti Airtel Ltd scores 68.4 out of 100 against the 18 companies it is compared with in Telecom Services, ranking 2. Confirmed research leader: earnings, capital efficiency and relative strength agree. Move to management, catalyst and risk diligence.

The four contributions add to the total exactly: 23.2 + 18.3 + 14.4 + 12.5 = 68.4. This is the SAME number shown on the sector comparison — it is computed once, for the whole peer set, and read here.

What would change it: The read weakens if profit growth turns negative or margin improvement reverses while sector-relative strength deteriorates.

05 · Revenue

Revenue Revenue is the top line: everything the company billed its customers in the period.

Bharti Airtel Ltd reported ₹55,383 Cr of revenue in the Mar 26 quarter, +15.7% year on year. That is the 12th straight quarter of year-on-year growth. Over 10 years it has compounded at 8.1% a year. The last full year, FY26, came in at ₹2,10,973 Cr. The last four reported quarters add to ₹2,10,973 Cr.

Bharti Airtel Ltd reported ₹55,383 Cr of revenue in the Mar 26 quarter, +15.7% year on year. That is the 12th straight quarter of year-on-year growth. Over 10 years it has compounded at 8.1% a year. The last full year, FY26, came in at ₹2,10,973 Cr. The last four reported quarters add to ₹2,10,973 Cr.

FY26 revenue came in at ₹2,10,973 Cr (+22.0% on the year), capping 10 years at 8.1% compound. The latest quarter (Mar 26) printed ₹55,383 Cr, +15.7% year on year — the 12th consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth.

FY26 revenue ₹2,10,973 Cr (+22.0% YoY) Revenue bars, ₹ Cr (left); YoY growth-% line (right). 11-year window. A bar is red when it is lower than the year before.
8.1% a year over 10 years
RevenueYoY growth
227.9k25%170.9k15%113.9k4.3%57.0k−6.0%0−16%₹ Cr%₹2,10,97322%FY16FY21FY26
227.9k25%170.9k15%113.9k4.3%57.0k−6.0%0−16%₹ Cr%₹2,10,97322%FY16FY21FY26
Mar 26: ₹55,383 Cr (+15.7% YoY) Quarterly revenue bars, ₹ Cr (left); YoY growth-% line (right). Last 12 quarters. A bar is red when it is lower than the quarter before.
12th straight quarter of growth
Revenue (quarterly)YoY growth
59.8k31%44.9k23%29.9k16%15.0k8.2%00.7%₹ Cr%₹55,38315.7%Jun 23Sep 24Mar 26
59.8k31%44.9k23%29.9k16%15.0k8.2%00.7%₹ Cr%₹55,38315.7%Jun 23Sep 24Mar 26

Pace check: the last four quarters averaged +22.4% growth against the decade's 8.1% — the current year is running faster than its own long-run rate.

Acceleration check: trailing-twelve-month revenue grew +22.0% over the last 4 quarters against +18.6%/yr over the last 8 — accelerating; TTM profit −9.8% vs +98.8%/yr — rolling over.

→ Revenue grew — did margins hold as it scaled? Next: 57.0% this quarter (+1.0 pp YoY).

06 · Operating margin

Operating margin Operating margin is what is left of every ₹100 of sales after running the business, before interest and tax. It is the cleanest read on pricing power and cost control.

Bharti Airtel Ltd's operating margin is 57.0% in the Mar 26 quarter, +1.0 percentage points against the same quarter a year ago. That is the widest this company has ever printed on a full-year basis. Across 13 fiscal years the operating margin has ranged 31.0% to 55.0%. The current quarter is running above every full year in that window.

Bharti Airtel Ltd's operating margin is 57.0% in the Mar 26 quarter, +1.0 percentage points against the same quarter a year ago. That is the widest this company has ever printed on a full-year basis. Across 13 fiscal years the operating margin has ranged 31.0% to 55.0%. The current quarter is running above every full year in that window.

The latest quarter's operating margin is 57.0%, +1.0 pp against the same quarter a year ago. Across 13 fiscal years the operating margin has ranged 31.0%–55.0%, and FY26's 55.0% is the top of that band — a record year.

Why the margin moved: operating margin went +0.5 pp year on year while gross margin went +0.0 pp — the gain came mostly below the gross line: operating leverage, with costs spread over a bigger revenue base.

Worth repeating from the valuation section: cheap against its own history on record margins is not the same thing as cheap — a record margin flatters every ratio built on top of it.

FY26: 55.0% Operating margin by fiscal year, %, line (left); year-on-year change in the margin, in percentage points, line (right). 13-year window.
the widest a 31.0–55.0% band over 13 years
operating marginYoY change (pp)
57%11%50%7.1%43%3.0%36%−1.1%29%−5.1%%%55%6%FY14FY20FY26
57%11%50%7.1%43%3.0%36%−1.1%29%−5.1%%%55%6%FY14FY20FY26
Mar 26: 57.0% operating margin (+1.0 pp YoY) Quarterly operating margin, %, line (left); year-on-year change in the margin, in percentage points, line (right). Last 12 quarters. Operating profit as a share of revenue, per quarter.
Operating marginYoY change (pp)
57%5.5%56%3.7%54%2.0%52%0.3%51%−1.5%%%57%1%Jun 23Sep 24Mar 26
57%5.5%56%3.7%54%2.0%52%0.3%51%−1.5%%%57%1%Jun 23Sep 24Mar 26

→ Margins held — did that reach the bottom line? Next: profit −25.9% in the latest quarter.

07 · Net profit

Net profit Net profit is what survives every cost, interest and tax — the number EPS, dividends and book value all grow from.

Bharti Airtel Ltd earned ₹9,247 Cr of net profit in the Mar 26 quarter, −25.9% year on year. Full-year FY26 profit was ₹33,823 Cr. The 10-year compound rate is 17.2%. That is 16.7% of the quarter's revenue. The same quarter a year earlier earned ₹12,476 Cr.

Bharti Airtel Ltd earned ₹9,247 Cr of net profit in the Mar 26 quarter, −25.9% year on year. Full-year FY26 profit was ₹33,823 Cr. The 10-year compound rate is 17.2%. That is 16.7% of the quarter's revenue. The same quarter a year earlier earned ₹12,476 Cr.

Mar 26 profit was ₹9,247 Cr, −25.9% year on year. On the full year, FY26 printed ₹33,823 Cr (−9.8%), and the 10-year compound rate is 17.2%.

FY26 profit ₹33,823 Cr (−9.8% YoY) Net profit bars, ₹ Cr (left); YoY growth-% line (right). 11-year window. A bar is red when it is lower than the year before.
17.2% a year over 10 years
Net profitYoY growth
42.9k518%23.2k−135%3.4k−789%−16.4k−1,443%−36.1k−2,097%₹ Cr%₹33,823−9.8%FY16FY21FY26
42.9k518%23.2k−135%3.4k−789%−16.4k−1,443%−36.1k−2,097%₹ Cr%₹33,823−9.8%FY16FY21FY26
Mar 26: ₹9,247 Cr (−25.9% YoY) Quarterly net profit bars, ₹ Cr (left); YoY growth-% line (right). Last 12 quarters. A bar is red when it is lower than the quarter before.
Net profit (quarterly)YoY growth
17.4k548%13.1k387%8.7k226%4.4k65%0−95%₹ Cr%₹9,247−25.9%Jun 23Sep 24Mar 26
17.4k548%13.1k387%8.7k226%4.4k65%0−95%₹ Cr%₹9,247−25.9%Jun 23Sep 24Mar 26

🚨 Why profit moved: revenue contributed +15.7% and the margin +1.0 pp — the quarter was revenue-led, with the margin roughly flat.

Pace comparison, last four quarters: profit +23.1% vs revenue +22.4%. Profit and revenue are moving roughly in step.

→ Profit rose — but did the cash follow? Next: 375% of the last 3 years' profit arrived as cash.

08 · Cash flow — the router

Cash flow — the router The P&L says what was earned; the cash-flow statement says what actually arrived. Operating cash flow (CFO) against profit is the cleanest lie detector in the accounts.

Over the last 3 fiscal years 375% of Bharti Airtel Ltd's reported profit arrived as operating cash — the cash follows the profit. In FY26 that was ₹1,22,230 Cr of operating cash against ₹33,823 Cr of profit. After ₹72,519 Cr of capital spending, ₹49,711 Cr was left as free cash.

FY26: operating cash of ₹1,22,230 Cr against reported profit of ₹33,823 Cr, leaving free cash of ₹49,711 Cr after ₹72,519 Cr of capital spending. Across the last 3 fiscal years the conversion rate is 375% of profit.

Cash-flow readings here are annual — that is the resolution our series carries, so this section moves once a year.

FY26: CFO ₹1,22,230 Cr vs profit ₹33,823 Cr Operating cash flow and net profit by fiscal year, ₹ Cr; the line is free cash flow (CFO minus capital spending). 11-year window, annual resolution.
375% of 3-year profit arrived as cash
Operating cashNet profitFree cash
135.8k86.5k37.2k−12.2k−61.5k₹ Cr₹1,22,230₹33,823₹49,711FY16FY21FY26
135.8k86.5k37.2k−12.2k−61.5k₹ Cr₹1,22,230₹33,823₹49,711FY16FY21FY26
FY26: CFO = 361% of profit (three-year rate 375%) Operating cash as a share of net profit, per fiscal year, % (line). Dashed line = 100% — every unit of profit arriving as cash; outlier years shown pinned.
Conversion100%
316%258%200%142%84%%300%FY16FY21FY26
316%258%200%142%84%%300%FY16FY21FY26

Why conversion sits at 375%: the cash cycle held roughly steady between FY21 and FY26 — so conversion tracks profitability rather than the cycle.

Router verdict: the bigger cash user is investment — capital spending ran 1.7× depreciation over three years, so the next section's job is to check what that build-out is buying.

→ So follow the cash to where it goes. Next: ₹2,30,275 Cr of building over 3 years.

09 · Where the cash goes

Where the cash goes Working capital is the cash tied up between paying suppliers and getting paid: debtor days (customers owe), inventory days (stock waits), and the cash conversion cycle (the whole loop, in days of sales).

Bharti Airtel Ltd's cash conversion cycle runs 14 days in FY26, up from 13 days in FY21. Capital spending ran ₹2,30,275 Cr over the last 3 years. At FY26 sales of ₹2,10,973 Cr each day of that cycle holds about ₹578 Cr, so roughly ₹8,092 Cr sits inside the business at any moment.

FY26: debtors at 14 days (an asset-light business — no inventory to speak of) — for a full cycle of 14 days, looser than FY21's 13.

In money terms: at FY26 sales of ₹2,10,973 Cr, each day of the cycle holds about ₹578 Cr — so the 14-day loop keeps roughly ₹8,092 Cr sitting inside the business at any moment.

FY26: a 14-day cash cycle Debtor days, inventory days, payable days and the cash conversion cycle by fiscal year. 13-year window.
+1 days vs FY21
Cash cycleDebtor days
282319149days14d14dFY14FY17FY20FY23FY26
282319149days14d14dFY14FY20FY26

On the investment side: capital spending of ₹2,30,275 Cr over the last 3 fiscal years against ₹1,37,819 Cr of depreciation — the company is building well ahead of wear-and-tear. Capital work-in-progress stands at ₹12,938 Cr (FY26) — capacity paid for but not yet earning.

FY26: capex ₹72,519 Cr, work-in-progress ₹12,938 Cr Capital spending per fiscal year, ₹ Cr (bars); capital work-in-progress, ₹ Cr (line). Quarterly capital-spending history is not held for India — annual is the honest resolution.
a build-out
CapexWork-in-progress
134.8k101.1k67.4k33.7k0₹ Cr₹72,519₹12,938FY16FY18FY21FY23FY26
134.8k101.1k67.4k33.7k0₹ Cr₹72,519₹12,938FY16FY21FY26

The synthesis: the cash is going into capacity, not disappearing into the cycle — the question becomes whether the new capacity earns.

→ Does all this activity actually earn its cost of capital? Next: ROCE is 18% and the ROIC − WACC spread is +2.4 pp.

10 · Return on capital

Return on capital Return on capital employed (ROCE) is the profit the whole business earns on all the money in it — equity and debt together. It is the single best test of whether growth creates value or just size.

Bharti Airtel Ltd earns a ROCE of 18% in FY26. That is up from a trough of 3% in FY19. Return on invested capital clears the cost of that capital by +2.4 percentage points, so growth here adds value rather than only size. The wiring behind it is 16.0% net margin on 0.39× asset turns.

FY26 ROCE is 18%, recovered from a FY19 trough of 3% — the full ladder below shows the fall and the climb, undoctored.

Why the return is what it is — the wiring (FY26): 16.0% net margin × 0.39× asset turns × 3.66× balance-sheet leverage ≈ 22.8% on equity. Margin is doing the heavy lifting; leverage is a meaningful part of the equation.

The capstone test — ROIC − WACC: 14.4% − 12.0% = a +2.4 pp spread. The 12.0% is a standing assumption for the cost of capital in India, not a per-stock estimate — read the sign and the size of the spread, not the decimals. Positive but thin — value creation with little room for error.

FY26: ROCE 18% Return on capital employed by fiscal year, % (line); ROIC by fiscal year, % (line). 13-year window, dips included. Dashed line = the 12.0% cost of capital used on this page.
the climb back from FY19's 3%
ROCEROIC (annual)WACC
19%15%11%6.2%1.8%%18%14%FY14FY20FY26
19%15%11%6.2%1.8%%18%14%FY14FY20FY26
Q4 FY26: ROCE 17.8% (TTM) vs WACC 12.0% Trailing-twelve-month ROCE and ROIC, per quarter, %; dashed line = the cost of capital. Last 12 quarters, put on a trailing-twelve-month basis and anchored to the annual figure.
ROCE (TTM)ROIC (TTM)WACC
19%16%13%11%7.8%%17.8%14.2%Q1 FY24Q2 FY25Q4 FY26
19%16%13%11%7.8%%17.8%14.2%Q1 FY24Q2 FY25Q4 FY26

→ Returns like these — is the balance sheet borrowing to make them? Next: debt-to-equity is 1.31.

11 · Debt

Debt Debt-to-equity says how much of the business is funded by borrowings. Low is the safe corner; the trend matters as much as the level.

Bharti Airtel Ltd carries total debt of ₹1,95,412 Cr against shareholder equity of ₹1,95,963 Cr as of Mar 26, a debt-to-equity of 1.00. On the annual view that ratio went from 1.81 in FY22 to 1.00 in FY26. Read the returns elsewhere on this page with that leverage in mind.

Mar 26: total debt of ₹1,95,412 Cr against shareholder equity of ₹1,95,963 Cr — a debt-to-equity of 1.00. On the annual view, debt-to-equity went from 1.81 (FY22) to 1.00 (FY26). Read the returns on this page with that leverage in mind.

FY26: debt ₹1,95,412 Cr at 1.00× equity Total debt by fiscal year, ₹ Cr (bars); debt-to-equity, × (line). 5-year window.
Total debtDebt-to-equity
244.1k2.2×183.1k1.9×122.1k1.6×61.0k1.2×00.9×₹ Cr×₹1,95,4121.00×FY22FY24FY26
244.1k2.2×183.1k1.9×122.1k1.6×61.0k1.2×00.9×₹ Cr×₹1,95,4121.00×FY22FY24FY26
Mar 26: debt ₹1,95,412 Cr, debt-to-equity 1.00 Total debt per quarter, ₹ Cr (bars); debt-to-equity, × (line). Last 12 quarters. India reports the full balance sheet half-yearly, so the intervening quarter carries the prior reading forward.
Total debt (quarterly)Debt-to-equity
243.6k2.3×182.7k1.9×121.8k1.6×60.9k1.2×00.9×₹ Cr×₹1,95,4121.00×Jun 23Sep 24Mar 26
243.6k2.3×182.7k1.9×121.8k1.6×60.9k1.2×00.9×₹ Cr×₹1,95,4121.00×Jun 23Sep 24Mar 26

→ Who owns this, and are they adding or leaving? Next: Promoters cut 3.1 points over 8 quarters.

12 · Ownership

Ownership Who owns the stock, quarter by quarter: promoters (the controlling owners), foreign and domestic institutions, and the public. Steady accumulation by people close to the numbers is a signal; a quiet register is also an answer.

Promoters cut 3.1 points of Bharti Airtel Ltd over 8 quarters, the biggest move on the register. That takes promoters to 50.1% of the company. Foreign institutions moved +1.9 points over the same window, to 26.5%. The register is read on the four disclosed classes only; nothing is inferred between filings.

The register over the last two years — Promoters: −3.1 points over 8 quarters to 50.1%; Foreign institutions: +1.9 points over 8 quarters to 26.5%; Domestic institutions: +1.5 points over 8 quarters to 20.6%.

🚨 Why the register moved: promoters drove it (−3.1 points), absorbed on the other side by foreign institutions (+1.9 points) — distribution into the market’s bid.

Fiscal-year ends: promoters −4.6 pts from Mar 24 to Mar 26 Shareholding at each fiscal-year end (March quarter), % of the company. 3 year-ends held.
PromotersForeign inst.Domestic inst.Public
58%43%28%13%−1.4%%48.9%27.8%20.5%2.6%Mar 24Mar 25Mar 26
58%43%28%13%−1.4%%48.9%27.8%20.5%2.6%Mar 24Mar 25Mar 26
Promoters cut 3.1 points over 8 quarters Shareholding by holder class, % of the company, quarterly, last 13 quarters.
PromotersForeign inst.Domestic inst.Public
59%44%29%14%−1.6%%50.1%26.5%20.6%2.6%Jun 23Dec 24Jun 26
59%44%29%14%−1.6%%50.1%26.5%20.6%2.6%Jun 23Dec 24Jun 26

→ One last check: does the safety math agree? Next: the balance-sheet safety line.

13 · Safety line

Safety line The Z-score estimates how far a company sits from balance-sheet distress — above roughly 3 is safe, below roughly 1.8 is the danger zone. It was built for manufacturers, so it is not applied to banks and lenders.

Bharti Airtel Ltd: the Z-score reads 2.72. A Z-score above roughly 3 reads as safe and below roughly 1.8 as the distress zone, so this sits in the grey band between the two. It is a distance-to-distress estimate from the balance sheet, not a forecast of failure.

Why it matters: a Z-score of 2.72 sits in the grey band — neither clearly safe nor clearly distressed.

The safety line in one sentence: the Z-score reads 2.72.

Related companies · same sector · Telecom Services Every company is compared on the shape of its own curves, not static ratios. The Revenue, EPS and ROCE columns each draw that company's last 12 quarters as a mini line of the ACTUAL level (trailing-twelve-month revenue and EPS, and the ROCE itself) — so a line that climbs is a business getting bigger, a line that sinks is one shrinking. The colour tracks the same line: green when it is rising or steadily healthy, amber when it is rolling over from a high (still elevated but turning down), red when it is falling, grey when flat or stuck. Colour and direction always agree — a green line never points down. The ROCE curve is the return on capital (annual readings for peers, so a slightly coarser line than the quarterly one at the top of this page). The Stage column then runs the same 12-quarter trajectory classifier used at the top of the page on each company and names where it sits. What lands a company in each bucket: CONSISTENT — growth stays positive across the window and returns are healthy (ROCE ≥ 15%, or ROE ≥ 12% for lenders); IMPROVING — profit or EPS fell into real decline, bottomed a few quarters back, and has climbed back to positive and held there; TURNING AROUND — the same kind of trough but more recent, with the latest quarters just lifting off it (an early, unconfirmed turn); TOPPING OUT — growth is still positive but decelerating hard from its own peak while returns have stopped rising; DETERIORATING — two or more growth curves are shrinking (latest below zero) and staying there, not one soft quarter; MIXED — the curves genuinely disagree, or no clean majority, so no single word fits; NO READ — fewer than eight usable quarters. It is a like-for-like read of every company against its own past, not a ranking against the group.
CompanyP/EMkt capRevenueEPSROCEStage
Bharti Airtel Ltd this page44.5×₹11.8L CrMixed
Vodafone Idea Ltd₹1.4L CrNo read
Indus Towers Ltd14.6×₹1L CrMixed
Bharti Hexacom Ltd47.3×₹80,380 CrMixed
Tata Communications Ltd48.6×₹50,599 CrDeteriorating
HFCL Ltd52.6×₹30,130 CrTurning around
ITI Ltd₹26,501 CrNo read
Tejas Networks Ltd₹8,817 CrNo read
Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Ltd₹7,699 CrNo read
Optiemus Infracom Ltd81.1×₹5,355 CrMixed
NELCO Ltd357.0×₹2,129 CrTurning around
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd₹1,708 CrNo read
GTL Infrastructure Ltd₹1,563 CrNo read
Valiant Communications Ltd46.8×₹1,131 CrConsistent
Suyog Telematics Ltd15.8×₹996 CrMixed
ADC India Communications Ltd51.6×₹977 CrTurning around
OnMobile Global Ltd₹646 CrNo read
ADC India Communications Ltd32.3×₹594 CrNo read
Sar Televenture Ltd8.2×₹587 CrNo read
12 · Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

What is Bharti Airtel Ltd's share price today?

Bharti Airtel Ltd trades at ₹1,909, +0.4% over the past year. The company is valued at ₹11,84,485 Cr. The stock sits at 34% of its 52-week range of ₹1,775–₹2,163, +0.7% versus its 200-day average. On the tape, the price is in a downtrend, 16 weeks in. — as of 24 July 2026.

What were Bharti Airtel Ltd's latest quarterly results?

Bharti Airtel Ltd reported revenue of ₹55,383 Cr and net profit of ₹9,247 Cr for the Mar 26 quarter. Revenue rose 15.7% and profit fell 25.9% year on year. Earnings per share were ₹12.02. The operating margin was 57.0%, 1.0 pp higher than a year earlier. — as of 24 July 2026.

What is Bharti Airtel Ltd's revenue?

Bharti Airtel Ltd reported revenue of ₹55,383 Cr in the Mar 26 quarter, +15.7% year on year. For the full FY26 fiscal year, revenue was ₹2,10,973 Cr (+22.0%). Over the last 10 years revenue compounded at 8.1% a year. — as of 24 July 2026.

What is Bharti Airtel Ltd's profit?

Bharti Airtel Ltd earned ₹9,247 Cr of net profit in the Mar 26 quarter, −25.9% year on year. Full-year FY26 profit was ₹33,823 Cr. The operating margin ran 57.0% in the latest quarter. — as of 24 July 2026.

What is Bharti Airtel Ltd's market cap?

Bharti Airtel Ltd's market capitalisation is ₹11,84,485 Cr at a share price of ₹1,909. Market cap is the share price multiplied by shares outstanding, so it is restated whenever the price moves. — as of 24 July 2026.

What is Bharti Airtel Ltd's P/E ratio?

Bharti Airtel Ltd trades at a P/E of 44.5×, at the 28th percentile of its own 10-year range, against a long-run median of 59.8×. This is a comparison with the stock's own history, not a value call — as of 24 July 2026.

Does Bharti Airtel Ltd pay a dividend?

Yes — Bharti Airtel Ltd's dividend payout was 55% of profit in FY26, and it recorded a payout in 11 of its last 13 reported fiscal years. One of those years shows a negative ratio because profit itself was negative. This page holds the payout ratio, not a per-share amount. — as of 24 July 2026.

Is Bharti Airtel Ltd overvalued?

On its own history, Bharti Airtel Ltd looks cheap against its own history: its P/E of 44.5× has been cheaper only 28% of the time in 10 years (long-run median 59.8×). That is a percentile read against the stock's own past, not a price opinion or a direction call. One caveat: margins are the best this company has ever printed — cheap on record margins is not the same thing as cheap. — as of 24 July 2026.

Is Bharti Airtel Ltd growing?

Yes — Bharti Airtel Ltd is growing: latest-quarter revenue +15.7% year on year, profit −25.9%, and the margin +1.0 pp at 57.0%. The 10-year compound rates are 8.1% (revenue) and 17.2% (profit). The earnings engine currently reads: improving — as of 24 July 2026.

How is Bharti Airtel Ltd performing?

Bharti Airtel Ltd is in a downtrend, 16 weeks in. Its latest quarter's revenue rose 15.7% and profit fell 25.9% year on year. Against the NIFTY 500 it has been behind on a trailing-13-week view for 2 weeks. This describes what the data did, not a rating. — as of 24 July 2026.

What stage is Bharti Airtel Ltd in?

Mixed — no clean majority across the growth curves, ROCE lifting at 18.8% — the per-curve reads carry the story. The read comes from the last 12 quarters of growth (revenue growth +22.0% latest, profit growth −9.8% latest, eps growth −21.9% latest) plus the ROCE curve, classified by deterministic rules — a trajectory read, not a buy or sell call — as of 24 July 2026.

Is Bharti Airtel Ltd in an uptrend?

No — the price is in a downtrend (week 16 of stage 4), trading +0.7% versus its 200-day average and at 34% of its 52-week range. Price stages cycle base → advance → top → decline, and the stage names where this stock sits in that cycle — as of 24 July 2026.

Is Bharti Airtel Ltd beating the market?

Not lately — on a trailing-13-week view Bharti Airtel Ltd is currently behind the NIFTY 500 (2 weeks and counting; last ahead the week of 2026-07-03), the same metric the week-by-week ribbon on this page draws. Separately, on the cumulative view: over the last 10.3 years the stock moved +528% against the NIFTY 500's +274% — ahead of the index over the full window. — as of 24 July 2026.

Will Bharti Airtel Ltd's share price go up?

This page publishes no price forecast for Bharti Airtel Ltd. What it measures instead: the share price is ₹1,909, the price is in a downtrend 16 weeks in. Its P/E of 44.5× sits at the 28th percentile of its own 10-year range. — as of 24 July 2026.

Who owns Bharti Airtel Ltd?

Promoters hold 50.1% of Bharti Airtel Ltd, foreign institutions 26.5%, domestic institutions 20.6% and the public 2.6% (latest quarter). The biggest move on the register over the last two years: Promoters cut 3.1 points over 8 quarters. — as of 24 July 2026.

Does Bharti Airtel Ltd have too much debt?

It carries real leverage — Bharti Airtel Ltd's debt-to-equity is 1.31, and operating profit covers the interest bill 5×. FY26 borrowings were ₹1,95,412 Cr against equity of ₹1,49,057 Cr. Read the returns on this page with that leverage in mind — as of 24 July 2026.

What is Bharti Airtel Ltd's capex?

Bharti Airtel Ltd spent ₹2,30,275 Cr on capital expenditure over the last 3 fiscal years, a figure derived from the change in fixed assets plus depreciation. In FY26 alone that was ₹72,519 Cr, with ₹12,938 Cr in capital work-in-progress — capacity paid for but not yet earning. — as of 24 July 2026.

What is Bharti Airtel Ltd's cash flow?

Bharti Airtel Ltd generated ₹1,22,230 Cr of operating cash flow in FY26 and ₹49,711 Cr of free cash flow after ₹72,519 Cr of capital spending. Reported profit that year was ₹33,823 Cr, so operating cash ran ahead of profit. Cash-flow resolution for India is annual. — as of 24 July 2026.

Is Bharti Airtel Ltd's profit real cash?

Yes — over the last 3 fiscal years, 375% of Bharti Airtel Ltd's reported profit arrived as operating cash. In FY26, operating cash was ₹1,22,230 Cr against reported profit of ₹33,823 Cr. The cash then goes mostly into building capacity. Cash-flow resolution is annual — as of 24 July 2026.

How financially safe is Bharti Airtel Ltd?

On the balance sheet, the Z-score reads 2.72 — above roughly 3 is safe, below roughly 1.8 is the distress zone. That is in the grey band — neither clearly safe nor clearly distressed. — as of 24 July 2026.

Where is Bharti Airtel Ltd in its business cycle?

Bharti Airtel Ltd's FY26 operating margin was 55.0%, against a 13-year band of 31.0%–55.0%: the top of the band — a record year. Record profitability is late-cycle territory: every ratio flatters at the top, and the story leans on margins holding. The latest quarter ran 57.0%. Profitability versus a company's own long band is the cleanest cycle clock this page holds — as of 24 July 2026.

What could break the Bharti Airtel Ltd story?

The sharpest disagreement: the price moved +0.4% in a year while annual EPS moved −25.6% — the difference is re-rating, and re-rating has to be repaid with earnings. Mechanically, two Friday closes in a row below the 200-day average would end the price trend — that is the exit rule this page tracks — as of 24 July 2026.

Is Bharti Airtel Ltd a stock worth studying right now?

This is not investment advice. The machine read: Bharti Airtel Ltd's three tracks disagree. Price, valuation and the earnings engine each tell a different story — the next quarter or two settles it. The sharpest open question: whether earnings grow into a price that has already moved. Every number on this page is drawn deterministically from the raw series, with no forecasts and no price opinions — as of 24 July 2026.

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