MTN Sinks as Nigeria Fine, Currency to Cause First-Half Loss

LAGOS, Nigeria, Capital Markets in Africa: MTN Group Ltd. fell in Johannesburg trading as Africa’s largest mobile-phone company said it expects to report a first-half loss after agreeing to pay a record fine in Nigeria.

The shares dropped 2.5 percent to 138.13 rand by 11:25 a.m., after earlier slumping as much as 3.8 percent, the most in three weeks on a closing basis.

The 330 billion naira ($1.18 billion) settlement in Nigeria, announced in June, will reduce earnings per share for the six months through June by 4.74 rand, while foreign-exchange losses, joint ventures and adjustments for inflation in Iran will further hurt results, MTN said in a statement on Tuesday.

MTN set to report first loss-per-share for a six-month period in at least 20 years, Bloomberg data show.

MTN is seeking to turn the page on a dispute with the Nigerian government, which initially imposed a $5.2 billion fine after the company missed a deadline to disconnect unregistered users. Johannesburg-based MTN is overhauling senior management and has added new directors as it seeks to convince investors the penalty won’t be repeated and revive a share price that’s 36 percent lower than a year ago.

Earnings were also damped by under performance in MTN’s two largest markets, it said. Nigerian results were further weighed on by government-mandated subscriber disconnections and a temporary withdrawal of regulatory services, while profit margins in South Africa were narrowed by an increase in handset sales. The loss would be the first over any half-year period for at least 20 years, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

MTN, which reported earnings per share of 6.53 rand for the same period a year earlier, said it will issue a further statement once it’s ready to provide more detail about the projected loss. The final results will be announced on Aug. 5.

Source: Bloomberg Business News