



Indus Towers stock: Recovery story or value trap?
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Shares of Indus Towers Ltd, Bharti Airtel Ltd’s telecom infrastructure subsidiary, have put up a good showing lately, gaining close to 30% from their 52-week low of ₹312.55 on 3 September. Indus has been recovering long-pending dues from Vodafone Idea Ltd.
Cheering these developments, credit rating agency ICRA upgraded its long-term rating to AAA on 27 November, soon after Emkay Global Financial Services raised its target price for the stock from ₹410 to ₹460. With the stock back to flirting with its critical resistance level of ₹400, focus has turned towards the fundamental factors driving momentum. Vodafone Idea’s potentially improving prospects bode well for Indus.
But capex-driven strain on cash flows along with a falling tenancy ratio and persistently negative energy margins pose hurdles, while Indus’s entry into Africa has pros and cons. In October the Supreme Court ruled that the government could consider providing relief to Vodafone Idea on its pending adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues. Vodafone owes money to Indus, so an increased likelihood that it can sustain operations is welcome.
Aided by nearly ₹200 crore of dues recovered, Indus reported a sequential 180 basis points (bps) Ebitda margin expansion to 55.8% in the September quarter (Q2FY26). But this was less than the ₹3,024 crore recovered in Q3FY25, which had caused Indus’s reported Ebitda margin to spike to 92.2%. Despite a potential AGR waiver, Vodafone Idea’s cash troubles won’t be behind it unless a fundraise follows.
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