Over the past 12 months, MTN and Vocacom have shown significant growth in their listed share prices – while encumbent operator, Telkom, reveals an overall decline in the past year.<\/p>\n
Companies’ share prices often go up and down with the ebb and flow of operating in the market – dipping on bad-news days – or amidst specualtion – and rising up when prospects look good for investors.<\/p>\n
However, when measured over time, the overall increase or decline of a company’s share price tells a greater tale of the current state of the company – and the trend its operations are setting in the market.<\/p>\n
| Company<\/th>\n | JSE<\/th>\n | Current SP<\/th>\n | 1 Year ago*<\/th>\n | Highest<\/th>\n | % Change<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vodacom<\/th>\n | VOD<\/td>\n | 101.50<\/td>\n | 69.51<\/td>\n | 103.78<\/td>\n | 46,0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| MTN<\/th>\n | MTN<\/td>\n | 134.40<\/td>\n | 117.35<\/td>\n | 146.94<\/td>\n | 14,5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Telkom<\/th>\n | TKG<\/td>\n | 26.50<\/td>\n | 33.28<\/td>\n | 38.49<\/td>\n | -25,6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n * Share price taken from 01\/03\/2011 | source: Bloomberg Telkom down<\/strong><\/p>\n Telkom’s share price has shown a gradual decline over the past 12 months, with the downward slump hitting after its 52-week high in July 2011.<\/p>\n Most recently, the encumbent operator has been in the spotlight with a court case surrounding anti-competitive behaviour – which caused investors to sell stock in the company.<\/p>\n From its opening in February, to date, Telkom’s shares have declined 10.7%<\/p>\n MTN fights\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n MTN still enjoys the position of biggest listed telecoms company on the JSE (in terms of market capital) but has had its share price negatively affected in recent months, causing a decline from the highs hit late 2011.<\/p>\n Most notably, Nigeria,\u00a0MTN\u2019s largest territory in terms of subscribers, experienced civil unrest and political issues, causing MTN’s shares to drop – while an ongoing legal probe into MTN’s position in Iran – another large market for the group – caused a similar slump.<\/p>\n From its opening in February, to date, MTN’s shares have remained fairly stable, declining only 0.8%.<\/p>\n Vodacom up strong<\/strong><\/p>\n The trend of Vodacom’s share rise can be seen in active effect, with the company’s highest point being hit fairly recently – on the 15 February 2012 – and the company’s shares seeing continued growth in February.<\/p>\n Despite reporting record customer growth, and a 12.2% rise in group revenue for the quarter ended December 2011, the company never experienced an investor spike; however, the company did enjoy an investor boost in the wake of Telkom’s competition tribunal hearing, earlier this month (February 2012).<\/p>\n From its opening in February, to date, Vodacom’s shares have increased 4.8%.<\/p>\n Telkom market cap on the slide<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n MTN shares sink on court threat<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n MTN loses further ground as Nigeria conflict weighs<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Vodacom profits as investor concerns weigh on Telkom<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n |