Airtel Africa (AAF) Competitors

Airtel Africa (LON:AAF) and Vodafone Group Public (LON:VOD) are both communication services companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, profitability, risk, earnings, institutional ownership and media sentiment.

Does the media favor AAF or VOD?

In the previous week, Airtel Africa and Airtel Africa both had 4 articles in the media. Airtel Africa's average media sentiment score of 0.54 beat Vodafone Group Public's score of 0.49 indicating that Airtel Africa is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Airtel Africa	1 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Vodafone Group Public	2 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Which has more volatility and risk, AAF or VOD?

Airtel Africa has a beta of 1.04, suggesting that its stock price is 4% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Vodafone Group Public has a beta of 0.54, suggesting that its stock price is 46% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is AAF or VOD a better dividend stock?

Airtel Africa pays an annual dividend of GBX 5 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. Vodafone Group Public pays an annual dividend of GBX 8 per share and has a dividend yield of 9.7%. Airtel Africa pays out -294.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Vodafone Group Public pays out 362.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

Is AAF or VOD more profitable?

Vodafone Group Public has a net margin of 1.79% compared to Airtel Africa's net margin of -1.67%. Vodafone Group Public's return on equity of 1.20% beat Airtel Africa's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Airtel Africa	-1.67%	-3.58%	9.60%
Vodafone Group Public	1.79%	1.20%	1.45%

Which has higher earnings and valuation, AAF or VOD?

Vodafone Group Public has higher revenue and earnings than Airtel Africa. Airtel Africa is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Vodafone Group Public, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Airtel Africa	£5.83B	1.66	-£97.44M	-£1.70	-124.35
Vodafone Group Public	£44.66B	0.56	£797.39M	£2.20	37.42

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in AAF or VOD?

22.2% of Airtel Africa shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.4% of Vodafone Group Public shares are owned by institutional investors. 72.6% of Airtel Africa shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 5.9% of Vodafone Group Public shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Do analysts prefer AAF or VOD?

Airtel Africa presently has a consensus target price of GBX 141.50, indicating a potential downside of 33.07%. Vodafone Group Public has a consensus target price of GBX 73, indicating a potential downside of 11.52%. Given Vodafone Group Public's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Vodafone Group Public is more favorable than Airtel Africa.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Airtel Africa	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Vodafone Group Public	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00

Summary

Vodafone Group Public beats Airtel Africa on 9 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.