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Croissance vs Défensif : Choisir son style d’investissement

النمو مقابل الدفاعي: سرعتان — IAM مقابل TGCC

Growth vs defensive: two speeds — IAM vs TGCC

Practical exercise on the BVC — why this pair?

Practical exercise on the BVC: building a portfolio means mixing profiles. A defensive block cushions recessions; a cyclical block accelerates in recovery. Open the comparator with IAM and TGCC: same exchange (Casablanca), but opposite macro sensitivity. This lesson fills the comparison table with real 2024 annual financial report (RFA) data.

Defensive vs cyclical — definitions

Defensive: product or service needed daily (telecom, basic food distribution, utilities). Revenue moves little when GDP slows. Dividend often regular; moderate growth.

Cyclical: activity tied to investment (construction, cement, real estate, mining). Revenue surges in phases of major projects and falls when markets dry up. Margins and multiples follow the cycle.

Comparison table — IAM vs TGCC 2024

2024 metric Maroc Telecom (IAM) — Defensive TGCC — Cyclical Reading
Sector Telecom Construction / civil engineering Recurrence vs project cycle
Revenue 36.70 bn MAD 8.05 bn MAD IAM ~4.6x TGCC’s size
Revenue growth vs 2023 −0.2% +17.2% Two speeds: stable vs dynamic
EBITDA 19.20 bn MAD 1.18 bn MAD IAM: cash machine; TGCC: operating leverage
Net income 1.80 bn MAD 522 M MAD IAM 2024 net income hit by one-offs
Net debt 22.4 bn MAD 673 M MAD IAM structurally leveraged (network); TGCC lighter
Net debt / EBITDA ~1.17x ~0.57x Both ratios manageable in 2024
P/E (price / 2024 EPS) ~44.6x ~49.8x IAM P/E inflated by low net income; TGCC by growth anticipation
Dividend (DPS) 1.43 MAD 11.50 MAD IAM yield ~1.6%; TGCC ~1.5%
Volume (shares/day) ~44,070 ~13,415 IAM: maximum institutional liquidity
Market cap ~80.3 bn MAD ~26.0 bn MAD Very different MASI weight

Sources: 2024 annual financial reports (RFA) IAM and TGCC, Casabourse prices (~91.4 MAD IAM, ~749.9 MAD TGCC).

IAM — the defensive anchor

Maroc Telecom shows near-flat revenue (−0.2% in 2024) with massive EBITDA of 19.2 bn. The Moroccan mobile market is mature; growth comes from data and fibre, not subscriber explosion. In recession, households cut new housing before mobile plans: IAM cushions the cycle.

The ~44.6x P/E in 2024 is misleading: net income (1.80 bn) includes exceptional charges. Normalised (~7 MAD EPS in 2025), P/E returns to ~13x — classic defensive valuation. The ~1.6% yield is low but the dividend is historically regular (payout ~70% on normalised net income).

TGCC — the cyclical engine

TGCC grew +17.2% in revenue (6.87 → 8.05 bn) and nearly doubled net income (366 → 522 M). Moroccan construction benefits from major projects (infrastructure, housing, industry). In a cycle downturn, order books empty and margins compress — TGCC still showed 5.18 bn revenue in 2022: the amplitude is real.

The ~49.8x P/E prices a continuation of the recovery (2025: 10.5 bn revenue and 952 M net income on partial data). Typical cyclical at the top of the cycle: high multiples when earnings are rising — a trap if the cycle turns.

When to favour one or the other?

Macro context Favoured profile 2024 argument
Uncertainty, slowdown IAM (defensive) Stable revenue, 19 bn EBITDA, max liquidity
Public/private investment recovery TGCC (cyclical) Revenue +17%, project backlog, operating leverage
Balanced portfolio Both Imperfect telecom/construction correlation
Pure yield seeking Neutral Similar yields (~1.5–1.6%) — see dividend lessons

Reproduce on Casabourse

Add IAM and TGCC to the comparator. Sort by revenue growth, P/E and debt/EBITDA. Identify a third defensive stock (Marsa Maroc) and a cyclical one (LHM) to broaden the basket.

Key takeaways

  • IAM: stable revenue (−0.2%), defensive profile, EBITDA ~19 bn.
  • TGCC: revenue +17.2%, cyclical construction profile, sensitive to project cycle.
  • High P/E on both in 2024 — for different reasons.
  • Mixing defensive and cyclical smooths portfolio profile.
  • Always compare in the comparator using the same reference year.

Self-check

  1. Which stock showed +17.2% revenue growth in 2024?
  2. Why is IAM classified as defensive?
  3. What is TGCC’s approximate debt/EBITDA ratio in 2024?
  4. Why can IAM’s 2024 P/E be misleading?
  5. Which tool should you use to compare IAM and TGCC?