Swiftnet windfall boosts Telkom's bottom line — A Telkom communications tower in Pretoria

Things are going well at Telkom, despite the moribund economy. The JSE-listed telecommunications operator said on Monday in a trading statement that it has seen a “robust operational performance” in the past year.

Adjusted headline earnings per share (Heps) from continuing operations will rise by as much as 105%, Telkom told investors in an update to its upcoming financial results for the year ended 31 March 2025, which it will publish in full next week. Adjusted basic earnings per share (Beps) will rise by as much as 135%, it said.

The Beps line is, however, skewed by a R483-million adjustment comprising net profit on disposal of property, plant & equipment and intangible assets of approximately R740-million, offsetting net write-offs of property, plant & equipment and intangible assets amounting to R257-million.

Adjusted Beps and Heps exclude the R451 million after-tax earnings impact of the conversion of the Telkom retirement fund to a defined contribution fund and restructuring costs of R117-million (after tax).

From total operations – including discontinued operations – Telkom said it will report an up-to-300% increase in Beps and an up-to-50% increase in Heps.

“The difference between Beps and Heps on total operations is largely due to the estimated R4.3-billion after-tax profit made on the disposal of Swiftnet, which is included as part of discontinued operations,” the company explained.

Telkom’s share price leapt higher on Monday’s trading update, climbing more than 7% in morning trade on the JSE to reach R41.75. The shares have gained more than 60% over the past year and are now trading at their highest level since 2022.