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Telenor (TEL.OL)
Telekom · Nordisk/asiatisk telekom (Telenor) · LTM Q1 2026
Analysis date: 2026-06-15
Price at analysis: NOK 151.60
Method: borsdata_v1
Conviction: MEDIUM
HOLD
Conviction: MEDIUM
A mature, cash-generative Nordic/Asian telecom with a high ~6–7% dividend — but heavily levered (net debt NOK 81.7B) and fully valued: the price embeds ~7% perpetual growth the rDCF says it cannot support. An income holding. HOLD.
Adj. ROIC
8.9%
WACC 8% → spread +0.9pp
Economic Profit
+NOK 1,172M
+NOK 1.3B; mature telecom
FCF Yield
19.8%
7.3% FCF yield; funds dividend
Price / Target
NOK 152 → NOK 150
-1% base; HOLD
Revenue (LTM)
NOK 75.0B
LTM; Nordic + Asia
EBIT Margin
23.6%
GAAP; telecom
EV / IC
1.99×
Enterprise value / invested capital
Net Debt
NOK 46.2B
NOK 81.7B; high
Thesis

Telenor operates Nordic mobile/broadband plus Asian assets (Grameenphone, dtac/True, Telenor Asia) and infrastructure (towers, fibre). It is a mature, defensive cash generator with adjusted ROIC of 8.8% and +NOK 1.3B economic profit, returning cash through a high dividend (~6–7% yield).

But the equity at NOK 152 embeds ~7% perpetual growth (reverse-DCF) against a mature telecom carrying NOK 81.7B net debt — demanding. The thesis is income plus optionality on Asian-asset and tower value, not growth.

Valuation · reverse-DCF & scenarios

Bridging adjusted NOPAT through NOK 81.7B net debt, reverse-DCF fair value runs NOK 73–82 — about half the price (~7% implied growth), reflecting heavy leverage and a mature growth profile. The dividend, infrastructure and Asian-asset value support the equity above this perpetuity floor.

Base NOK 150 (flat) on the dividend plus stable cash flows; bull NOK 180 (Asian-asset/tower monetisation crystallises value); bear NOK 120 (rate or competitive pressure, dividend strain).

Market-implied growth
≥8.5%
model ceiling — EV implies more than constant-ROIC sustains
No-growth value / share
NOK 75
50% of price; rest = priced-in growth
ROIC − WACC
+0.9 pp
ROIC 8.9% vs WACC 8.0% — positive = value creation
CAP (priced-in)
30.0 yrs
years of excess returns the price implies (fades to WACC)

At today’s enterprise value the constant-ROIC reverse-DCF maxes out: even at its sustainable-growth ceiling (~8.5%, limited by ROIC 9% ≈ WACC 8%) it cannot reach the current EV. No-growth value is NOK 75/share (50% of price); the market prices in growth and/or a higher ROIC than booked — richly valued on this lens. Read the sensitivity grid.

Scenario24m targetImpl. gUpsideProb.Driver
BullNOK 180≥8%+19%30%Asian-asset/tower monetisation crystallises value
BaseNOK 150≥8%-1%45%Dividend + stable cash flows; full valuation
BearNOK 120≥8%-21%25%Rate/competitive pressure; dividend strain
Prob-weightedNOK 152-0%100%Scenario-weighted expected value

Sensitivity — fair value / share at WACC × growth

WACC \ g0%3%5%8%10%15%
6.50%112121126135141155
7.25%919699104107114
8.00% (base)757880828384
8.75%636465656562
9.50%545453525145

Green = fair value above the current price of NOK 151.60. The reverse-DCF conclusion is dominated by WACC and growth — see the whole surface, not a single fair value.

Method & data. NOPAT NOK 11,343, invested capital and ROIC 8.9% are observed (adjustments.json); WACC 8.0% and terminal g 2.5% are assumptions. EV→equity uses net debt NOK 46,153. The model holds ROIC constant (no fade) over the explicit horizon; the CAP figure instead fades excess returns to WACC.

⤓ Download the full model (.xlsx) — formula-driven sheets; flex the blue input cells and the model cascades in Excel.

Key drivers

1. High covered dividend

A ~6–7% dividend yield is the core total-return engine.

2. Infrastructure value

Towers and fibre carry monetisable, inflation-linked asset value.

3. Asian-asset optionality

Grameenphone and Thai (True) stakes hold value not fully reflected in the operating model.

4. Defensive cash flows

Mature Nordic telecom cash flows are stable and recession-resilient.

5. Cost/efficiency

Network and cost efficiency programmes support margins.

Key risks
Conclusion

Telenor is a mature, levered telecom best owned for its high covered dividend and infrastructure/Asian-asset optionality rather than growth. HOLD, medium conviction; base target NOK 150 (flat).

Tower or Asian-asset monetisation is the upside catalyst; the dividend underpins total return while you wait.

Footnote evidence & sources

Every adjustment traces to the cited note/page in the source filing — click to open it there. Source reports archived locally.

NOPAT adjustments: Not available from structured data

Company add-backs we reject: Not available without footnote extraction

Pages read — FY: — · Q: —  

Analysis history

How the mttssn view has evolved — each prior dated note is preserved.