TKC vs VOD: How Turkcell and Vodafone Group Compare (2026)

Last updated August 2026

Short answer

VOD is the larger of the two ($36.34B market cap): the incumbent the market prices for continued execution (8.93x forward earnings, beta 0.32). TKC is the smaller challenger ($4.79B), actually pricier on forward earnings (10.38x): more room to run, but more to prove. The real question is which set of drivers you believe, and whether owning one (or both) leaves you over-concentrated.

TKC vs VOD: the tie-breaker metrics

Same yardstick, side by side (as of August 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

MetricTKCVODWhat it tells you
Market cap$4.79B$36.34BSize. The larger name is the incumbent; the smaller has more room to grow and more to prove.
Forward P/E10.388.93Valuation on next year's expected earnings, the same yardstick for both. Lower is cheaper for that growth; higher means the market is paying up.
Beta0.670.32Volatility vs the market. Above 1 swings harder than the index; below 1 is steadier. Higher beta means bigger drawdowns to hold through.
Price vs 52-week range11% of range85% of rangeWhere today's price sits between the 52-week low and high. Near the high is momentum with less margin of safety; near the low is out of favor or a discount, depending on why.
Price / book0.051.25How much you pay over book value. Very high can signal an asset-light, high-return business or a rich price.

Reading it: VOD is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.

Before you buy: how TKC and VOD affect your concentration

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. TKC and VOD share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined TKC and VOD exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

What does Turkcell (TKC) do?

Turkcell is Turkey's largest mobile operator, with roughly ~46.7 million registered Group subscribers as of March 31, 2026, and it runs well beyond SIM cards. The Turkcell Turkey segment covers mobile plus Superonline fiber broadband and TV+, the Techfin segment holds Paycell (mobile payments and wallet) and Financell (consumer finance for handsets and devices), and a growing Digital Business Services and data center and cloud unit sells connectivity, hosting and integration to corporates. Turkcell International is much smaller after the company exited Ukraine: lifecell LLC, Global Bilgi and Ukrtower were sold to DVL Telecom, part of Xavier Niel's NJJ Holding, for ~$538.7 million, with the share transfer completed on September 9, 2024 and ~$524.3 million received. The Turkey Wealth Fund holds the controlling stake, which makes state ownership a permanent feature of the story rather than an event risk.

Full TKC guide

What does Vodafone Group (VOD) do?

Vodafone Group is one of Europe's largest telecommunications companies, providing mobile and fixed-line broadband, TV, and business connectivity services across markets including Germany, the UK, and other European and African countries, plus a large IoT and digital-services arm. The US-listed VOD ADR gives American investors dollar-denominated exposure to the group (each ADR represents ten ordinary London-listed shares). Over recent years management has reshaped the portfolio, exiting Italy and Spain, trimming its stake in the Vantage Towers infrastructure unit, and merging Vodafone UK with Three UK to create VodafoneThree, now the largest mobile operator in the UK with over 28 million customers.

Full VOD guide

TKC vs VOD: how do they differ?

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

  • TKC drivers: 5G monetization after a paid-for spectrum position; Techfin and digital services growing off a small base.
  • VOD drivers: Germany recovery; VodafoneThree UK integration.

Which fits which kind of investor

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: Currency is the dominant risk for a dollar holder: lira depreciation can convert lira-denominated growth into a flat or negative ADR return, and the last twelve months saw the ADR near ~$5.50 after a decline of roughly ~14%. For VOD, germany remains the biggest risk, where regulatory changes to TV bundling cost Vodafone roughly half of about 8.5 million bundled TV households and where it competes as the number-two mobile player behind Deutsche Telekom alongside O2, leaving it exposed to price-led churn.

TKC or VOD: which should you pick?

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick TKC if you believe its drivers more; VOD if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the TKC and VOD guides.

TKC vs VOD: the full fundamentals

TKC. Every operating figure is reported in Turkish lira and restated under IAS 29 inflation accounting, so the growth rates above are real rather than nominal and do not map cleanly onto a dollar-based valuation multiple. Guidance for 2026 is real revenue growth of ~5% to ~7%, an EBITDA margin of ~40% to ~42% and capex intensity near ~25% of revenue. Second quarter 2026 results are scheduled for release after the Borsa Istanbul close on August 13, 2026, which will be the first full quarter with commercial 5G in the numbers.

VOD. Vodafone reported FY26 (year ended March 2026) total revenue up about 8% to roughly €40.5 billion, lifted by the Three UK consolidation, and it hit the top end of its guidance on EBITDAaL and free cash flow. The stock trades at a low price-to-sales multiple with a dividend yield around 4%, reflecting a value-and-income profile rather than growth. Figures are group results in euros; the US-listed VOD ADR represents ten ordinary shares.

Headline figures (approximate, August 2026): TKC shows revenue (fy2025) ~TRY 241.5 billion, up ~10.7% in real terms, ebitda (fy2025) ~TRY 104.0 billion, margin ~43.1%, q1 2026 revenue and net income revenue ~TRY 68.4 billion (up ~8.9%), net income ~TRY 4.63 billion (up ~15%), q1 2026 adjusted ebitda margin ~41.4%, down ~2.3 percentage points year on year; VOD shows revenue (fy26) ~€40.5B, service revenue (fy26) ~€33.5B, adjusted ebitdaal (fy26) ~€11.4B, adjusted free cash flow (fy26) ~€2.6B.

The bottom line: TKC vs VOD

TKC and VOD are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined TKC and VOD exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.

Wondering how TKC or VOD fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.

Investing in Turkcell with AI

Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how TKC fits what you actually hold: whether you own it already through a fund, what it would do to your concentration, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.

FAQ

What is the difference between TKC and VOD?

+

Turkcell is Turkey's largest mobile operator, with roughly ~46.7 million registered Group subscribers as of March 31, 2026, and it runs well beyond SIM cards. Vodafone Group is one of Europe's largest telecommunications companies, providing mobile and fixed-line broadband, TV, and business connectivity services across markets including Germany, the UK, and other European and African countries, plus a large IoT and digital-services arm. They show up together because they share investment themes, but they are different businesses, so the better fit depends on which thesis you are expressing.

Is TKC or VOD the better stock?

+

Neither is universally better. VOD is the larger incumbent; TKC is the smaller challenger and looks pricier on forward earnings. Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Compare what each does, the tie-breaker metrics above, and the risks, then decide which fits your thesis and what you already own.

Which is cheaper, TKC or VOD?

+

On forward P/E (as of August 2026), TKC trades at 10.38x and VOD at 8.93x, so VOD is the cheaper of the two on next year's expected earnings. A lower multiple is not automatically the better buy: a richer valuation can be justified by faster growth, and a lower one can reflect real risk. Weigh the multiple against how fast each business is compounding.

Should you own both TKC and VOD?

+

Because they share themes, owning both concentrates you in that theme. That can be intentional (a focused bet) or accidental (less diversification than it looks). Walnut can show your combined exposure across both, and whether adding either over-concentrates you, before you buy.

What are the risks of TKC vs VOD?

+

TKC: Currency is the dominant risk for a dollar holder: lira depreciation can convert lira-denominated growth into a flat or negative ADR return, and the last twelve months saw the ADR near ~$5.50 after a decline of roughly ~14%. Reporting under IAS 29 inflation accounting makes period-to-period comparison harder and means headline figures are restated rather than nominal, so screening tools often mis-state the multiple. The 5G build is a multi-year cash outflow: ~$1.224 billion of spectrum, capex intensity near ~25% of revenue and a ~$1 billion loan, all before subscribers demonstrate willingness to pay for the faster tiers. Turkish regulatory and political intervention in telecom pricing is a live factor, and the Turkey Wealth Fund's controlling stake means minority holders do not set strategy. Q1 2026 already showed margin compression of ~2.3 percentage points from handset cost of goods sold, and the next data point, second quarter 2026 results, is scheduled for August 13, 2026. VOD: Germany remains the biggest risk, where regulatory changes to TV bundling cost Vodafone roughly half of about 8.5 million bundled TV households and where it competes as the number-two mobile player behind Deutsche Telekom alongside O2, leaving it exposed to price-led churn. Net debt, around €25 billion after the VodafoneThree buyout, keeps leverage and interest costs a live concern for a capital-intensive business. As an ADR reporting in euros, VOD also carries currency translation risk for dollar investors, and European telecom is a low-growth, heavily regulated, competitive sector. Execution risk on both the German recovery and the multi-year UK integration could delay the payoff, and the dividend, while progressive, depends on free-cash-flow delivery.

Walnut is informational, not investment advice. This page is descriptive and not a recommendation to buy or sell TKC or VOD; figures are approximate and dated (as of August 2026). Verify current data before investing.

    TKC vs VOD: How Turkcell and Vodafone Group Compare (2026) - Walnut AI Investing App