Vodacom Boosts Dividend On Higher Net Profit, Revenue Growth

Vodacom Group boosted shareholder payout after reporting higher net profit and revenue for fiscal 2026, supported by growth in Egypt. The South Africa-based telecommunications company--which is majority owned by Vodafone Group--said Monday that net profit for the year ended March 31 rose to 20.65 billion South African rand ($1.26 billion) from 16.60 billion rand for the period a year earlier. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization increased 12.8% on a reported basis to 62.63 billion rand, while the corresponding margin grew slightly to 37.4% from 36.5%. Revenue rose to 167.65 billion rand from 152.23 billion rand. Meanwhile, service revenue--a closely-watched metric in the industry--grew 10.6% on a reported basis to 133.56 billion rand. Analysts polled by Visible Alpha had forecast revenue at 167.51 billion rand and Ebitda at 62.47 billion rand. Vodacom added 26 million customers across the group in the fiscal year, more than double its annual Vision 2030 target of 10 million customers, taking its total customer base to 237.3 million across eight markets, it said. The board declared a full-year dividend of 735 South African cents, up 18.5% from a year earlier. "Looking ahead, from a macroeconomic perspective, uncertainty is expected to persist; however, the fundamentals of the Group remain strong, as do our risk management processes," Chief Executive Shameel Joosub said.