Mumbai: Bharti Airtel became the second most valued Indian company on May 18 after its market capitalisation crossed nearly Rs 12 lakh crore. The telecom major moved ahead of HDFC Bank as Airtel shares rose up to 2 percent during trading to touch Rs 1,953.8 apiece.
At the same time, HDFC Bank’s market capitalisation stood at around Rs 11.8 lakh crore. Airtel shares have gained nearly 10 percent in the last one week, while HDFC Bank shares have risen only 1 percent during the same period.
Reliance Industries continues to remain India’s most valued company with a market capitalisation of Rs 18.04 lakh crore.
HDFC Bank Shares Under Pressure
HDFC Bank shares have faced pressure in recent months after the resignation of part-time chairman Atanu Chakraborty. The private lender’s stock has fallen nearly 22 percent over the past six months.
The decline in HDFC Bank’s share price, along with strong buying in Airtel shares, helped the telecom company move ahead in overall market value rankings.
Airtel Reports Strong Revenue Growth
Bharti Airtel recently announced its Q4 FY26 earnings. The company reported a 33.5 percent fall in consolidated net profit to Rs 7,325 crore compared to Rs 11,021.8 crore in the same quarter last year.
Despite the fall in profit, Airtel’s revenue from operations rose 15.6 percent year-on-year to Rs 55,383.2 crore. Sequentially, both profit and revenue also recorded growth.
The company’s India revenue increased 7.7 percent to Rs 39,566 crore. Mobile revenue in India rose 8.3 percent, supported by better customer spending and a growing subscriber base.
Airtel’s Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) improved to Rs 257 during the quarter from Rs 245 a year ago.
Expansion In Data Centres And Financial Services
Bharti Airtel is also expanding its business beyond telecom services. The company plans to set up 56 edge data centres over the next 18-24 months.
The telecom firm is also focusing on strengthening its optical fibre network and growing its newly announced non-banking financial services business, where it has planned an investment of Rs 20,000 crore.
