Orange SA shares climb on in-line Q3 results

Investing.com -- Shares of Orange SA (EPA:ORAN ) rose by 1.7% on Thursday, buoyed by its third-quarter results, which came in line with analysts' expectations. 

The telecom giant reported strong growth in key financial metrics such as EBITDAaL rising 3% year-over-year and operational free cash flow, which rose by 7% year-over-year.

Orange France’s top-line performance improved, rising 1.3% in Q3 compared to a 0.3% increase in Q2. 

This growth was driven by stronger convergence ARPU, which grew by 5% year-over-year, supported by stable retail demand and an improvement in wholesale revenues, which saw a smaller decline than earlier quarters.

“The key to the share price near-term will likely be the Investor Call, which will inevitably focus on the recent mini price war in France,” said analysts at Morgan Stanley in a note.

Despite the price pressure, Orange has maintained a stable position, particularly in mobile net adds and convergence, although it saw a slight decline in convergence additions. 

“Though the mix is not disclosed, we believe that much of the EBITDAaL growth has come outside of France,” said analysts at Citi Research in a note. 

Outside France, Orange's operations in the Middle East and Africa continued to perform strong, with 10.5% growth in the region's revenues, driven by high demand for mobile data services, Orange Money, and fixed broadband.

While Orange’s business solutions division saw some challenges, with ongoing revenue declines, the company said that the division’s EBITDAaL losses are expected to halve by year-end, contributing to the broader positive outlook for the company.

Source: Investing.com