IT Brief New Zealand - Technology news for CIOs & IT decision-makers
Story image
Sell, Sell, Sell…Chorus shares?
Mon, 24th Jun 2013
FYI, this story is more than a year old

Citing too much regulatory risk, Deutsche Bank have stung Chorus with a 'sell' rating, advising shareholders to jump ship.

Releasing a 33-page report, the analysts claim the telecommunications network owner faces too much pressures from contracts to roll out the UFB network.

Placing a sell recommendation on Chorus stock, shares in the company have seen shares fall 4.2% to $2.26 - representing a new low since splitting with Telecom in November 2011.

"Chorus is lacking: a well-defined regulatory framework; stability in revenue and earnings outlook, and hence dividends; confidence in capital expenditure and the relationship between capex and returns," says Arie Dekker, a research analyst with Deutsche's retail broking subsidiary Craigs Investment Partners, and Vikas Gour from Deutsche's Sydney office.

The company faces competition in not only the mobile broadband industry, but from retail providers such as Telecom, which prompted Deutsche to cut its dividend forecasts for the company for the 2015 financial year to 18 cents per share - a drop from 25.5 cents.

Should shareholders sell their Chorus shares? Tell us your thoughts below