Vodafone (LON: VOD) shares came under pressure in Wednesday’s session, declining 2.9% after JPMorgan downgraded the stock from Neutral to Underweight, cutting its price target from 72p to 62p.
The analysts highlighted persistent structural challenges and a need for the market to “see clear evidence of a structural turnaround” before considering the company’s longer-term upside.
JPMorgan said it now expects Vodafone’s financials to miss consensus estimates. Its March 2026 forecasts are 2% below consensus for revenues, 3% below for EBITDAaL, 7% for EPS, and 19% for all-in equity free cash flow (EFCF).
The bank cited “double-digit cuts to near-term EFCF,” driven by increased capex, spectrum payments and restructuring costs, “even prior to accounting for the 3UK merger.”
The 3UK deal is also expected to weigh on near-term returns. JPMorgan now models March 2026 EFCF at just €1.2 billion, equating to a modest 6% yield.
The bank also flagged risks to Vodafone’s German mobile pricing and a potential loss of wholesale revenues if rival 1&1 partners with Telefónica.
While analysts acknowledge “meaningfully hidden value” in assets such as Vantage, India, AST SpaceMobile, the Zegona payment, and UK merger synergies, they believe these are unlikely to drive a re-rating in the short term.
“All considered, we rate Vodafone UW expecting it to underperform a broader sector that will likely continue to re-rate,” JPMorgan concluded.
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