Airtel AfricaMEX:AAFN 39 Interest Coverage is 3.69 as of Mar. 2026, which is 29% above its 10-year median of 2.87. GuruFocus rates MEX:AAFN with a GF Score™ of 39/100. The stock has 3 warning signs investors should review. Among 286 Telecommunication Services companies, Airtel Africa ranks worse than 67.83% on this metric.
Interest Coverage is a ratio that determines how easily a company can pay interest expenses on outstanding debt. It is calculated by dividing a company's
Operating Income
by its Interest Expense. Airtel Africa's
Operating Income
for the
three
months ended in Mar. 2026 was MXN10,657 Mil. Airtel Africa's Interest Expense for the
three
months ended in Mar. 2026 was MXN-2,885 Mil.
Airtel Africa's interest coverage for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was 3.69.
The higher the ratio, the stronger the company's financial strength is.
The historical rank and industry rank for Airtel Africa's Interest Coverage or its related term are showing as below:
MEX:AAFN'
s Interest Coverage Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.5 Med: 2.87 Max: 4.97
Current: 2.71
MEX:AAFN's Interest Coverage is ranked worse than 67.83% of 286
companies
in the Telecommunication Services industry
Industry Median: 4.715
vs MEX:AAFN: 2.71
Airtel Africa (MEX:AAFN) Interest Coverage Explanation
Ben Graham requires that a company has a minimum interest coverage of 5 with the companies he invested. If the interest coverage is less than 2, the company is burdened by debt. Any business slow or recession may drag the company into a situation where it cannot pay the interest on its debt.
Interest Coverage is an important factor when GuruFocus ranks a company's overage Financial Strength .
Airtel Africa Interest Coverage Related Terms
Airtel Africa Interest Coverage Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Airtel Africa's Interest Coverage can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Note: For Interest Coverage, "No debt" indicates no long-term debt. An indication of "No Debt" does not necessarily mean that the company has no long-term debt obligations; it could be due to missing data in the quarterly or annual report. Use caution when interpreting this information.
MEX:AAFN vs TMUS, VZ, T: Interest Coverage Comparison
For the Telecom Services subindustry, Airtel Africa's Interest Coverage, along with its competitors' market caps and Interest Coverage data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Airtel Africa Interest Coverage vs Telecommunication Services Industry
For the Telecommunication Services industry and Communication Services sector, Airtel Africa's Interest Coverage distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Airtel Africa's Interest Coverage falls into.
Interest Coverage is a ratio that determines how easily a company can pay interest expenses on outstanding debt. It is calculated by dividing a company's Operating Income (EBIT) by its Interest Expense:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Airtel Africa (MEX:AAFN) has a Interest Coverage of 3.69 as of Mar. 2026. Interest Coverage measures a company's capability to pay interest expenses on its debt. View historical data on Airtel Africa and its competitors. This is 29% above median its historical median of 2.87. Over the past decade, Airtel Africa's Interest Coverage has ranged from 0.50 to 4.97. According to the industry distribution chart, Airtel Africa ranks #194 out of 286 companies in the Telecommunication Services industry, placing it in the top 67.8%.
Is Airtel Africa's Interest Coverage too high?
Airtel Africa's current Interest Coverage of 3.69 is 29% above median its 10-year median of 2.87. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.50 to a high of 4.97. The Telecommunication Services industry median Interest Coverage is 4.72. Airtel Africa's value of 3.69 is 21.7% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Airtel Africa ranks #194 out of 286 companies in the Telecommunication Services industry, which is below the industry midpoint. Overall, Airtel Africa has a GF Score™ of 39/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Airtel Africa's Interest Coverage compare to TMUS and VZ?
According to the Telecommunication Services industry distribution chart, Airtel Africa ranks #194 out of 286 companies for Interest Coverage. This places Airtel Africa in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Interest Coverage is 4.72. Airtel Africa's value of 3.69 is 21.7% below this benchmark. Historically, Airtel Africa's own Interest Coverage has ranged from 0.50 to 4.97 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 2.87 vs. the industry median of 4.72, Airtel Africa has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Interest Coverage for a Telecommunication Services company?
The median Interest Coverage among Telecommunication Services companies is 4.72, based on 286 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Interest Coverage significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Interest Coverage should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Airtel Africa's current Interest Coverage of 3.69 is 21.7% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Interest Coverage mean?
A high Interest Coverage can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Interest Coverage measures a company's capability to pay interest expenses on its debt. View historical data on Airtel Africa and its competitors. For the Telecommunication Services industry, the median Interest Coverage is 4.72 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Airtel Africa's current Interest Coverage is 3.69, which is 29% above median its own 10-year median of 2.87. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Airtel Africa stock overvalued right now?
Airtel Africa (MEX:AAFN) has a current Interest Coverage of 3.69. The current Interest Coverage is 3.69, which is 29% above median its 10-year median of 2.87 and 21.7% below the Telecommunication Services industry median of 4.72. Airtel Africa's overall GF Score™ is 39/100 with 3 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Interest Coverage calculated?
Interest Coverage is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Airtel Africa (MEX:AAFN), the current Interest Coverage is 3.69 as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Airtel Africa PLC is a telecoms and financial services provider transforming lives across the continent through increased digital and financial inclusion. The principal activities of the Group mainly consist of the provision of telecommunications and mobile money services. Its services include Voice, Data, Mobile money, Enterprise, and Data centers. The Group's operating segments are Nigeria mobile services, East Africa mobile services, Francophone Africa mobile services, and Mobile money. It generates maximum revenue from East Africa mobile services, comprising mobile service operations in Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, and Rwanda.
39GF Score
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