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Telefonica's Q1 Earnings Meet Estimates & Revenues Miss, Plummet Y/Y

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Telefonica, S.A. (TEF - Free Report) reported a first-quarter 2025 net income of €427 million, which plummeted 26% year over year. Furthermore, basic earnings per share (EPS) were €0.06 (8 cents) compared with €0.09 in the year-ago quarter. The bottom line met the Zacks Consensus Estimate.

Total revenues decreased 2.9% year over year to €9,221 million ($9700 million) due to unfavorable foreign exchange rate movements. Despite this, the company achieved organic revenue growth of 1.3%, driven by strong performance in B2C (+5.4%) and B2B (+1.8%) segments. The top line missed the consensus mark by 14.5%.

The company strategically reduced its exposure to Hispam by divesting from Argentina and Peru and initiating the sale of its stake in Telefonica Colombia. These moves align with TEF’s broader plan to concentrate on profitable, scalable markets and optimize its portfolio.

Results by Business Units

Telefonica Espana: Quarterly revenues in Spain increased 1.7% year over year on a reported basis to €3,170 million, driven by strong handset sales and service revenues. Strength in retail was supported by a larger customer base, price hikes and strong IT sales, though it slowed slightly after a strong fourth-quarter performance in IT. The quarterly adjusted EBITDA grew 1% to €1,128 million, driven by higher revenues and efficiency gains from the March 2024 workforce realignment and network transformation.

Telefonica Deutschland: Quarterly revenues fell 2% to €2,056 million due to sluggish trends across the mobile business amid growth in the fixed business. The quarterly adjusted EBITDA margin was 31.1%. Capital expenditure (CapEx) plunged 12.9% to €203 million in the quarter.

VirginMedia-O2 U.K.: Quarterly revenues went down 1.8% to €2,968 million. The quarterly adjusted EBITDA margin was 36.3%. CapEx fell 10.8% to €596 million in the quarter.

Telefonica Brasil: Quarterly revenues in Brazil decreased 7.2% to €2,337 million due to forex headwinds. The quarterly adjusted EBITDA declined 5.7% to €964 million. CapEx decreased 13% to €303 million in the quarter. 

Telefonica SA Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Telefonica SA Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Telefonica SA price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Telefonica SA Quote

 

Telefonica Infra (Telxius): Telxius, Telefonica’s submarine cable unit, saw 10% traffic growth year over year. Contract value with third parties rose 91%, and strong cost control helped keep profitability high, with a 49.8% EBITDA margin.

Telefonica Tech: Revenues increased 6.6% year over year to €508 million. Revenues are well-balanced across services, with a strong focus on Managed & Professional services and own platforms. More than 85% comes from hard-currency markets. The outlook for the year stays positive, supported by strong sales and a solid pipeline.

Telefonica Hispam: Revenues fell 8.6% year over year to €1,245 million, mainly due to Chile (which had one-time legacy network revenues in the prior year quarter) and weaker B2B results in Colombia. This was partly balanced by strong service revenue growth in Mexico, up 5% year over year.

Other Detail

Quarterly adjusted EBITDA was €3,014 million, down 4.2% year over year. Operating income was €1,109 million in the quarter under review, which decreased 1.7%.

Cash Flow & Liquidity

For the year that ended March 31, 2025, operating cash flow was €1,412 million, up 0.6% organically, while free cash outflow reflected expected seasonal trends, recording €205 million from continuing operations.

As of March 31, 2025, the company had €7,059 million in cash and cash equivalents, with €32,865 million of non-current financial liabilities.

2025 Financial Guidance

For 2025, Telefonica expects year-on-year organic growth in revenues, EBITDA and EBITDAaL - CapEx. It aims to keep CapEx as a share of sales below 12.5%, maintain free cash flow at 2024 levels and reduce debt.

The company reaffirmed its commitment to shareholder returns by confirming a €0.30 per share dividend for 2025, split into two tranches (€0.15 each in December 2025 and June 2026). Additionally, the second tranche of the 2024 dividend will be distributed on June 19, 2025.

TEF’s Zacks Rank

Telefonica currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Recent Performance of Other Companies

BCE Inc. (BCE - Free Report) reported first-quarter 2025 adjusted EPS of C$0.68 (48 cents) compared with C$0.44 in the prior-year quarter. The figure topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 44 cents.

Shares of BCE have lost 38.1% in the past year.

TELUS Corporation (TU - Free Report) reported first-quarter 2025 adjusted EPS of C$0.26, flat year over year. Quarterly total operating revenues increased 3% from a year ago to C$5,057 million.

Shares of TU have declined 5.7% in the past year.

Lumen Technologies, Inc. (LUMN - Free Report) reported first-quarter 2025 adjusted loss (excluding special items) of 13 cents per share, which was significantly narrower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 29 cents. The company reported adjusted loss per share of 4 cents in the prior-year quarter.

In the past year, shares of LUMN have gained 229%.


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