London, June 8, 2026, 14:46 (BST)
- Vodafone was up about 0.8% late in the London session. The FTSE 100 barely moved.
- Shares dropped after going ex-dividend. Investors also watched UK size and pressure out of Germany.
- Vodafone’s next expected catalyst is its Q1 FY27 trading update, due July 27.
Vodafone Group shares moved up in London trading Monday, outperforming the FTSE 100 as investors looked past the dividend cut from last week and put their attention on the company’s UK consolidation plan.
The share was last up 0.77% at 111.25 GBX at 1417 BST on delayed data, after trading between 110.00p and 111.42p. The FTSE 100 in London edged 0.05% higher to 10,373.23, also on delayed numbers.
Vodafone shares are flat. Not much news from the company. The stock traded ex-dividend just now, so new buyers miss out on the next payout. AJ Bell says the ex-dividend date was June 4, record date June 5, with payment set for July 30.
Markets had a shaky run as traders reacted to Middle East tensions and falling tech stocks, but later moves calmed down when oil slipped. Defensive names picked up some flows — those stocks tend to stay firm when growth is weak.
Vodafone is holding its FY26 targets after posting 5.4% organic service revenue growth, stripping out currency swings and M&A. Adjusted EBITDAaL rose 4.5%. The company flagged €3.1 billion in total FY26 shareholder returns.
Chief Executive Margherita Della Valle said Vodafone is “a simpler company with a stronger growth outlook” and is “well set for mid-term growth” after the results. For the market, those comments have stopped being just slogans. Now they’re the benchmark. Vodafone
Vodafone will take complete control of VodafoneThree after its agreement in May to buy CK Hutchison’s 49% stake for 4.3 billion pounds. That would make Vodafone sole owner of the UK’s biggest mobile provider. Della Valle said, “now is the right time” to take the business in-house. The deal is due to close in the second half of 2026, pending approval under the UK National Security and Investment Act. Reuters
VodafoneThree is now the UK’s largest operator after its merger, overtaking BT’s EE and O2, owned by Telefonica and Liberty Global, according to Reuters. Scale is a real factor in the sector.
Vodafone’s biggest headache remains Germany. The country is still its largest market, but Vodafone trails Deutsche Telekom there as the second-biggest mobile operator, according to Morningstar data quoted by Davy.
Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, wrote in a note after Vodafone’s FY26 numbers that the “turnaround is starting to take shape,” but said it’s “far from complete.” He said Germany is still Vodafone’s biggest problem, pointing to pricing pressure and subscriber losses. HL
UK approval might take longer, savings could be slow, and Germany is still a risk. VodafoneThree is targeting 700 million pounds in cost cuts by 2030. Picking up the stake will push Vodafone’s net debt ratio to about 2.6 times, excluding VodafoneZiggo, Reuters reported.
Vodafone shares ticked higher Monday, though the gains looked more like investors on hold than any big change in value. The company is set to report its Q1 FY27 trading update July 27. Traders will watch German service revenue, how the UK integration is going, and free cash flow — the money left after costs and investment.
