Bharti Airtel shares rose more than 2% to hit an intraday high of ₹1,833 on Thursday despite reporting a 26% year-on-year decline in consolidated net profit to ₹9,247.4 crore for the March quarter. As per Business Today, investors focused on strong operational performance with revenue climbing 16% to ₹55,383 crore, reflecting continued momentum in the India business and resilient Africa operations. The positive market reaction demonstrates investor confidence in the company's operational strength and growth trajectory despite the profit decline. Latest market developments show Nifty up 100 points near 23,520 at noon, led by Cipla, Adani Enterprises and Bharti Airtel, while IT and sugar stocks face pressure, indicating continued investor interest in the telecom sector.
Bharti Airtel reported consolidated revenue of ₹55,383 crore for Q4FY26, marking a 16% year-on-year increase and 2.6% quarter-on-quarter growth. The company's profit after tax rose 10.5% to ₹9,247.4 crore from ₹8,630 crore in Q3FY26, while EBITDA margin improved to 57.8%, expanding by 60 basis points from the previous quarter. However, the India mobile segment showed muted performance with revenue growing just 0.6% QoQ, coming in below market estimates of 0.7-1%. This compares unfavorably to rival Jio, which posted India revenue growth of 1.9% QoQ and 11.2% YoY in the same period. Consolidated EBIT rose 21% to ₹18,156 crore, with the EBIT margin expanding by 160 basis points to 32.8%, highlighting improved operating leverage and favorable customer mix across businesses.
The India business demonstrated strong operational performance with revenue from India operations, including passive infrastructure services, rising 8% YoY to ₹39,566 crore. As per The Economic Times, India's mobile revenue grew 8% YoY, aided by portfolio premiumisation and higher smartphone penetration, with the company adding 5.8 million smartphone users and 0.8 million postpaid customers during the quarter. However, ARPU stood at ₹257, marginally down from ₹259 in the previous quarter, partly due to seasonal factors and Middle East conflict impact on international roaming. The homes business showed exceptional growth with revenue surging 37.3% year-on-year, driven by expansion in broadband, WiFi and IPTV offerings. During the quarter, Airtel added 1.135 million net home customers, underscoring strong demand for high-speed broadband and bundled entertainment services.
During the quarter, Bharti Airtel announced several strategic initiatives to strengthen its market position. The company partnered with Google to strengthen spam protection and Rich Communication Services messaging capabilities for users in India. Additionally, Airtel launched the AI and Cyber Threat Research Center in collaboration with Zscaler to improve cyber resilience and accelerate trusted AI adoption in India. These partnerships align with the company's focus on enhancing digital services and network security capabilities.
The company's balance sheet continued to strengthen with the consolidated net debt-to-EBITDA ratio improving to 1.29 times from 1.86 times a year ago. As per The Economic Times, capex for the quarter stood at ₹16,066 crore as the telecom operator accelerated investments in 5G densification, fibre deployment, connected homes, data centres and enterprise services. Alongside the results, the board recommended a final dividend of ₹24 per fully paid-up equity share for FY26, subject to shareholder approval at the upcoming annual general meeting. This represents a 480% dividend payout, reflecting the company's strong cash generation and commitment to returning value to shareholders.
