Stock Spotlight: Weak signals for Vodafone despite M&A drive

‘Little growth narrative’

Vodafone’s boss is trying to turn the tide of the FTSE 100 group following years of poor returns to shareholders, but experts continue to see little growth prospects despite multiple M&A discussions and rising activist shareholder pressure.

In February, chief executive Nick Read, who took the helm in 2018, confirmed that the group was in talks with rivals in the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain. Last November, he told investors that the company was on the lookout for deals, including a possible merger with rival Three UK.  Today (3 October), the takeover discussions were confirmed, which Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, noted received a "lukewarm" reception. "This may be due to the significant regulatory hurdles ahead for the deal, as the authorities weigh up the potential cedi...