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AMX Falls 11.1% in 3 Months Amid Brazil Rivalry and Currency Risks

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Key Takeaways

  • AMX shares fell 11.1% in 12 weeks even as postpaid users rose 9.1% year over year.
  • America Movil added 3.5 million postpaid users as broadband access increased 6.1%.
  • AMX faces tougher Brazil promotions, FX pressure and capital demands despite service growth.

América Móvil, S.A.B. de C.V. (AMX - Free Report) shares have fallen 11.1% over the past 12 weeks, even as subscriber and service trends remain constructive. The pullback puts a sharper focus on whether operating momentum can outweigh competitive and currency pressure.

The latest quarter offers support for the bull case, but not a clean all-clear. Brazil rivalry, exchange-rate translation and capital demands still weigh on earnings visibility and financial flexibility.

AMX's 3-Month Slide Tests the Bull Case

AMX's price weakness contrasts with a 9.1% year-over-year increase in postpaid users. Fixed-line service revenue growth accelerated to 2.7% from 1.7% in the prior quarter, while EBITDA increased 5.3% at constant exchange rates.

Those figures show that the stock decline has not been matched by a broad deterioration in operations. The risk is that more promotions and currency translation could blunt the benefit from that operating progress.

America Movil's Postpaid Growth Stays Firm

América Móvil added 3.5 million postpaid subscribers in the second quarter, with Brazil accounting for 1.5 million. Broadband access increased 6.1% year over year, reinforcing the role of postpaid and fixed-broadband customers in the company's growth mix.

Management expects migration from prepaid to postpaid to continue over the next five years, supporting more recurring service revenues. That trend gives AMX a potential offset to volatility in prepaid subscriber counts.

AMX Faces Tougher Pricing in Brazil

Brazil's mobile service revenue rose 6.1% and postpaid revenue increased 7.1%, but management said promotions became more aggressive in both prepaid and postpaid. AMX has been matching competitors when needed, which could limit pricing flexibility and slow margin expansion if discounting persists.

Telefônica Brasil S.A. (VIV - Free Report) , which operates Vivo, reported second-quarter revenue of R$15.8 billion and EBITDA of R$6.6 billion, underscoring the scale of competition in Brazil. TIM S.A. (TIMB - Free Report) also continues to invest in network reach and says its 5G footprint has reached 1,000 cities. AMX therefore faces rivals with substantial scale and network investment behind their offers.

America Movil's FX and Leverage Risks Persist

Reported service revenue increased 3.4% year over year, compared with 5.1% at constant exchange rates. The gap illustrates how currency translation can obscure underlying operating momentum in reported Mexican peso results.

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Financial flexibility is another constraint. Net debt excluding capitalized leases was Mex$402 billion at June, equal to 1.31 times last-12-month EBITDA after leases, and management plans to keep leverage between 1.2 and 1.5 times while funding committed investments. That range limits how far deleveraging can go in the near term.

AMX Signals Favor Value and Momentum

AMX's 11.1% slide lowers the entry price relative to 12 weeks ago, but it does not remove the operating risks. Subscriber growth and service momentum provide support, while Brazil promotions, foreign-exchange swings and capital commitments argue against treating the pullback alone as a buy signal.

AMX currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), alongside a Value Score of A, a Growth Score of F, a Momentum Score of A and a VGM Score of B. The A readings for Value and Momentum and the B VGM Score are favorable Style Score signals, while the F Growth Score is a clear offset. Because Style Scores complement the Zacks Rank, the combination supports patience rather than a strongly directional call. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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