Sonae Valuation Multiples

Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer, operating 2,359 warehouse-format stores offering more than 30,000 products in store and 1 million products online in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Its stores offer building materials, home improvement products, lawn and garden products, and decor products and provide various services, including home improvement installation services and tool and equipment rentals. The acquisition of Interline Brands in 2015 allowed Home Depot to enter the MRO business, which has been expanded through the tie-up with HD Supply (2020). The 2024 tie-up with SRS will help grow professional demand in roofing, pool, and landscaping projects, while the 2025 purchase of GMS will lift building product sales through 1,250 distribution locations.

SoftBank is a Japan-based telecom and e-commerce conglomerate that has expanded mainly through acquisitions, and its key assets include a 40%-owned mobile and fixed broadband telecom operator business in Japan. It also owns 90% of semiconductor chip designer Arm Holdings following the 2023 IPO of this business, and has a vast portfolio of mainly internet- and e-commerce-focused early-stage investments. It is also a general partner of the USD 100 billion SoftBank Vision Fund 1 and sole investor in SoftBank Vision Fund 2, both of which primarily invest in pre-IPO internet and AI companies. Recently, it has begun investing in OpenAI.

China Mobile is not only the largest telecom operator in China by the number of mobile subscribers (1 billion) but also the largest in the world. It has 60% of the total wireless market in China and over 50% of the fixed-line broadband market. The firm has largely rolled out its 5G network, having launched 5G service in late 2019. It is doing some 5G network sharing with China Broadnet at 700 MHz and also resells its 3G/4G/5G network through China Broadnet. Growth is being generated through internet data centers where it has the second-largest network in China and through Cloud Services. The company issued stock on the A-share market in 2022 and completed its first buyback of H-shares.

Deutsche Telekom merged its T-Mobile USA unit with prepaid specialist MetroPCS in 2013, and that firm merged with Sprint in 2020, creating the second-largest wireless carrier in the US. T-Mobile now serves 86 million postpaid and 26 million prepaid phone customers, equal to around 30% of the US retail wireless market. The firm entered the fixed-wireless broadband market aggressively in 2021 and now serves 8 million residential and business customers with its wireless network. It also serves 1 million fiber broadband customers through joint ventures with fiber network owners. T-Mobile owns a stake in these firms, which provide wholesale access to their networks. In addition, T-Mobile provides wholesale services to wireless resellers.

Wireless services account for 75% of Verizon Communications' total service revenue and nearly all of its operating income. The firm serves about 94 million postpaid and 20 million prepaid phone customers via its nationwide network, making it the largest US wireless carrier. Fixed-line telecom operations include local networks in the Northeast that reach about 30 million homes and businesses, including about 20 million served by the Fios fiber-optic network. Verizon closed its acquisition of Frontier Communications in January, adding networks that reach another 15 million locations, including 9 million with fiber. These networks serve about 11 million broadband customers. Verizon also provides telecom services nationwide to enterprise customers, using a mix of its own and other networks.

Founded in 1987, TJX Companies is the world’s largest off-price apparel and home fashions retailer, operating more than 5,000 stores across nine countries. In fiscal 2025, the company generated roughly $56 billion in sales. TJX operates through four segments: Marmaxx (61% of sales), HomeGoods (17%), TJX Canada (9%), and TJX international (13%). Its off-price model emphasizes branded merchandise at meaningful discounts, driving high traffic and rapid inventory turnover.

The wireless business contributes nearly 70% of AT&T’s revenue. The company is the third-largest US wireless carrier, connecting 74 million postpaid and 17 million prepaid phone customers. Fixed-line enterprise services, which account for about 14% of revenue, include internet access, private networking, security, voice, and wholesale network capacity. Residential services, about 11% of revenue, primarily consist of in-home broadband internet access, serving 15 million customers. AT&T also has a sizable presence in Mexico, with 25 million wireless customers, but this business only accounts for 3% of revenue. The company recently sold its 70% equity stake in satellite television provider DirecTV to its partner, private equity firm TPG.

Deutsche Telekom is Germany's incumbent telecom operator and remains the dominant player in mobile and fixed markets. It also owns a controlling stake in T-Mobile US—one of three primary wireless carriers in the United States—which merged with Sprint in 2020, consolidating the market from four to three operators. Aside from its two core markets, Deutsche Telekom operates in several Central European countries and holds an IT arm (Systems Solutions).

Fast Retailing is Japan's largest apparel company. It operates casualwear retail chain Uniqlo, known for its high-quality functional apparel at reasonable prices. Fast Retailing is in charge of product design and sales and outsources almost all of its production to factories in places including China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and India. It is ranked the second-largest apparel company by sales globally in 2024 per Euromonitor, thanks to the expansion of Uniqlo International. As of February 2025, it ran 3,616 stores globally. Other brands in its portfolio include GU and acquired brands like Theory, Comptoir des Cotonniers, and Princesse tam.tam. The Yanai family owned a 40.86% stake in the firm as of July 2025.

Lowe's is the second-largest home improvement retailer globally, with more than 1,750 stores in the US, after the 2023 divestiture of its Canadian locations (RONA, Lowe's Canada, Réno-Dépôt, and Dick's Lumber). The firm's stores offer products and services for home decorating, maintenance, repair, and remodeling, with maintenance and repair accounting for two-thirds of products sold. Lowe's primarily targets retail do-it-yourself (around 70% of sales) and do-it-for-me customers, but has expanded its professional business clients to 30% from less than 20% in the past six years (set ot expand further with the acquisition of FBM). We estimate Lowe's captures a high-single-digit share of the domestic home improvement market, based on US Census data and management's market size estimates.

Bharti Airtel Ltd is a telecommunications company. The company's segments include Mobile Services India, Mobile Services Africa, Mobile Services South Asia, Airtel Business, Passive Infrastructure Services, Homes Services, Digital TV Services, and others. It generates maximum revenue from the Mobile Services India segment. Mobile Services India services cover voice and data telecom services provided through wireless technology (2G /3G/4G) in India. It includes the captive national long-distance networks, which provide connectivity to the mobile services business in India. It also includes intra-city fibre networks.

Comcast is made up of three parts. The core cable business owns networks capable of providing television, internet access, and phone services to 65 million US homes and businesses, or nearly half of the country. The firm provides services to about 47% of the locations in this territory. Comcast acquired NBCUniversal from General Electric in 2011. Following the spinoff of several cable networks, including CNBC, MSNBC, and USA, NBCU now consists of the NBC network, several local NBC affiliates, Bravo, the Peacock streaming platform, Universal Studios, and several theme parks. Finally, Sky, acquired in 2018, is a large television provider in the UK and Italy.

America Movil is the largest telecom carrier in Latin America, serving about 330 million wireless customers across the region. It also provides fixed-line phone, internet access, and television services in most of the countries it serves. Mexico is the firm’s largest market, providing about 35% of service revenue. Movil dominates the Mexican wireless market with about 60% customer share and also serves about half of the country's fixed-line internet access customers. Brazil, its second most important market, provides about 20% of service revenue. Movil sold its low-margin wireless resale business in the US to Verizon in 2021 and now owns a 1.4% stake in the US telecom giant. The firm also holds a 61% stake in Telekom Austria.

China Telecom is the largest fixed-line operator in China, originally covering 21 southern provinces but now operating nationally. It has 200 million broadband customers, and 437 million wireless subscribers, having overtaken China Unicom to become the second-largest wireless operator in China behind China Mobile. The firm is increasing its cross-selling of products and seeing strong growth from industrial digitization services, such as internet data centers and cloud computing. Its internet data center business is already the largest in China and it is expanding overseas.

NTT owns NTT DoCoMo, the largest wireless operator in Japan, with 53 million mobile handset subscribers. It also owns NTT East and NTT West, the two regional incumbent fixed-line operators in Japan, with about 23.6 million broadband lines (around 72% of which are wholesaled). The firm also provides IT and communications systems integration via NTT Communications and NTT Data.

Ross Stores, founded in 1982, is a US-focused off-price apparel and home fashion retailer operating more than 2,100 stores across 43 states, primarily under the Ross Dress for Less banner, with a smaller footprint through DD’s Discounts. In fiscal 2024, the company generated over $21 billion in sales. Ross offers branded apparel, footwear, accessories, and home goods at a 20%-60% discount to department and specialty store prices, sourcing closeouts and excess inventory from vendors worldwide.

O’Reilly is an aftermarket automotive parts retailer in the United States and Mexico with more than $16 billion in annual sales. The company operates over 6,000 domestic stores and serves both the do-it-yourself (about 50% of sales) and professional (47% of sales) end markets. O’Reilly differentiates itself by providing quality service to its customers throughout the entirety of the vehicle diagnosis and purchasing process. Furthermore, the firm boasts an impressive hub-and-spoke distribution network designed to provide its localized store base with ample aftermarket part availability across a variety of vehicle makes and models.

SoftBank is an established, telecommunications services provider in Japan owning a mobile network with around 50 million mobile customers and 24% market share. It also provides some fixed line services, which are mostly resold so are low margin. The company also owns 32.4% of LY Corp, and SoftBank and LY Corp each own 32% of PayPay so SoftBank consolidates PayPay. SoftBank Group sold 33.5% of SoftBank Corp in an IPO in 2018 and has since sold down further to a 40% holding.

KDDI is Japan's second-largest wireless operator (30% market share), the largest pay-TV operator (53% market share) and the second-largest provider of fibre-to-the-home broadband (12% market share). It has grown through acquisition and is focusing on increasing the number of customers who subscribe to more than one telecommunication service. It is also looking to grow its Life Design business which includes commerce, energy, and finance and had over 53 million Internet of Things connections by the end of June 2025.

Wesfarmers is Australia's largest conglomerate. Its retail operations include the Bunnings hardware chain (number one in market share), discount department stores Kmart and Target (number one and three), and Officeworks in office supplies (number one). These activities account for the vast majority of group earnings before taxes. Other operations include chemicals and fertilizers, lithium mining, industrial and safety supplies, and health. Management is focused on generating cash and creating shareholder wealth in the long term.

Saudi Telecom Co offers telecommunications, information and media services that establish, manage, operates and maintains fixed and mobile telecommunication networks and systems to customers. The company manufactures and markets devices, equipment, and components of different telecommunication networks including fixed, moving and special networks, and computer programs and the other intellectual properties. It is also engaged in real estate investment activities. The company principally earns its revenue from airtime usage, messaging, data services, interconnect fees, connection fees and device sales. Its reportable segments include: stc; Channels; Solutions; stc Kuwait; stc Bahrain; Center 3; STC Bank; Sirar; Specialized; iot2; and Other operating segments.

Singapore Telecommunications is Singapore's leading telecoms company. It owns extensive wired and wireless networks offering data and voice services to a broad customer base. Singtel's diverse investment portfolio spreads across the region. The firm wholly owns Optus in Australia and minority equity stakes in Airtel (28%) in India; Telkomsel (35%) in Indonesia; Globe Telecom (47%) in the Philippines; and Advanced Information Services (23%) and Intouch (21%) in Thailand. Singtel is majority-owned by the Singapore government.

Orange operates fixed-line and wireless businesses in France, where it is the market leader ahead of Iliad, Bouygues, and SFR, thanks to its incumbent position. It also has telecom businesses in Spain (through MasOrange), Poland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Central Europe (Romania, Slovakia, and Moldova). Around 20% of revenue comes from emerging African markets, where it mainly operates wireless networks, and 20% comes from the enterprise segment, which serves companies with more than 50 employees in France and internationally.

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc operates a network of convenience stores across North America, Europe, and Asia. The company generates income through the sale of tobacco products, groceries, beverages, fresh food, quick service restaurants, car wash services, other retail products and services, road transportation fuel, stationary energy, marine fuel, and chemicals. In addition, the company operates stores under the Circle K banner in other countries such as Indonesia, Egypt, Macau, and others. Its operation is geographically divided into the U.S., Europe and other regions, and Canada. Revenue from external customers falls mainly into three categories: merchandise and services, road transportation fuel, and others. The company generates the majority of its revenue from the United States.

AutoZone operates as a leading retailer of aftermarket automotive parts in the United States. The firm operates 6,666 stores domestically, serving the do-it-yourself and commercial (do-it-for-me) end markets. Through its vast store footprint and distribution network, AutoZone manages a wide array of stock-keeping units applicable to numerous vehicle makes and models, providing its consumers with ample product availability. The firm drives traffic by providing superior and convenient customer service as AutoZone's team of knowledgeable staff assists consumers with diagnosing a vehicle's problem, selecting the necessary part for replacement, and occasionally, installation. The company also operates internationally, with 895 stores in Mexico and 149 in Brazil.

Swisscom is the incumbent telecom operator in Switzerland, with a very high market share in mobile and fixed-line markets. It charges high prices compared with its competitors and other European peers due to the historical stability of the Swiss telecom market and a favorable regulatory environment. In 2024, Swisscom acquired Vodafone Italia in a deal worth EUR 8 billion.

Emirates Telecommunications Group Co PJSC is a telecommunications company. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides telecommunication and consulting services, media services, and equipment to over sixteen countries in Asia and Africa. Etisalat specializes in fixed-line services, voice communication, wireless communication, and data communication services. The majority of the company's revenues profits and assets relates to its operations in the UAE.

Telstra is Australia’s largest telecommunications company, with dominant market shares in voice, mobile, enterprise telecom, and fixed-line broadband resale via the national broadband network. The former government monopoly provides most of its services via its infrastructure assets, such as a fixed-line network (data centers, exchanges, poles, ducts, pits and pipes, fiber network), a mobile network, and mobile towers. Its customers span retail, corporate, government, wholesale, and overseas segments. Telstra also provides the government-owned, last-mile fixed-line National Broadband Network with long-term access to its infrastructure, in return for recurring payments. Finally, Telstra operates a leading telecom operation in Papua New Guinea and the surrounding South-Pacific countries.

Vodafone operates mobile and fixed-line networks and businesses across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Its largest market is Germany, where it is the second mobile operator after Deutsche Telekom and owns two cable network after acquiring Kabel Deutschland in 2013 and Liberty Global Germany in 2019. In the UK Vodafone merger with CK Hutchison in 2024, consolidating the mobile market. It also divested its Spanish and Italian divisions in that same year, given their low returns on invested capital.

Chunghwa Telecom Co Ltd is Taiwan's integrated telecom operator, providing fixed-line, wireless, and Internet and data services. The company segment consists of Consumer Business, Enterprise Business, International Business, and Others. The company generates the majority of its revenue from the Consumer Business segment. The consumer Business segment generates revenue from Mobile services, Fixed-line services, Sales, and others.

China Unicom is the incumbent fixed-line operator in 10 northern Chinese provinces, as well as the third-largest wireless operator nationwide. As of June 2025, it had around 355 million billing wireless customers and over 125 million fixed-line subscribers. China Unicom also has a growing ICT business. We estimate it has the third largest internet data center business in China with 420,000 cabinets and its Cloud Service revenue is also showing strong growth. It has its own 4G network and shares the radio access function with China Telecom for its 5G network.

BT Group is the incumbent telecommunications operator in the UK. BT is the owner of Openreach, the largest fixed-line network in the country. Openreach operates as a separate entity due to regulatory requirements but is still 100% owned by BT. Openreach has accelerated its fiber investments and expects to have 90% of the UK covered with FTTH by 2026. In the consumer division, BT has approximately 30% market share in broadband and mobile services. The enterprise segment serves large corporations while the global services division provides communications consultancy services.

Casey's General Stores Inc serves as convenience store chain with its 2,900 locations, positioned in the Midwest United States. About half of Casey’s stores are located in rural towns with populations under 5,000. While fueling stations serve as a key traffic driver, about two-thirds of the company’s gross profit stems from in-store sales of grocery items, prepared meals, and general merchandise. Casey’s owns more than 90% of its stores and operates the majority of its warehousing and distribution processes internally.

Asian Paints Ltd manufactures and sells a variety of paint and home improvement products. The firm operates itself as a Paints and Home Decor company which sells interior and exterior paints, metal finish, and wood finish. The home improvement product offerings include kitchen and bathroom products. Asian Paints sells its products to distributors and directly to the home improvement industry through the company's network of retail stores. The majority of revenue comes from India.

Telefonica is a telecom operator with presence in Spain (where it is the incumbent operator), the UK, Germany, Brazil, and Latin American countries. The company derives more than 30% of its revenue from Spain, close to 20% from Germany, and 20% from Brazil. Its UK operations are held through a joint venture with Virgin Media. For several years Telefonica has been simplifying its corporate structure by selling noncore assets.

With a retail and direct-to-consumer presence, Williams-Sonoma is a player in the $300 billion domestic home category and $450 billion international home market, focused on expanding its exposure in the B2B ($80 billion total addressable market), marketplace, and franchise areas. Namesake Williams-Sonoma (153 stores) offers high-end cooking essentials, while Pottery Barn (183) provides casual home accessories. West Elm (119) is an emerging concept for young professionals, and Rejuvenation (13) offers lighting and house parts. Brand extensions include Pottery Barn Kids and Pottery Barn Teen (45) as well as Mark & Graham and GreenRow. Williams-Sonoma also has a business-to-business team that supports projects that range from residential to large-scale commercial.

BCE provides wireless, broadband, television, and landline phone services in Canada. It is one of the Big Three national wireless carriers, with over 10 million customers constituting about 30% of the market. It is also the incumbent local exchange carrier—the legacy telephone provider—throughout much of the eastern half of Canada, including in the most populous Canadian provinces: Ontario and Quebec. BCE has a media segment that holds television, radio, and digital media assets. BCE licenses the Canadian rights to HBO Max and Starz.

MTN Group Ltd is a mobile telecommunications provider operating across South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Uganda, Syria, and Sudan. The majority of the company's revenue is earned in South Africa and Nigeria. The company also has a joint venture in Iran. From a product perspective, the majority of its revenue is from voice and data. Other contributors include SMS and sale of devices revenue. MTN also provides enterprise services to small/midsize enterprises and corporate clients. The company owns the mobile infrastructure and data centers. Its segments include Network services, Mobile devices, Inter connect and roaming, Digital and fintech and others.

Telenor is an international provider of telecommunications services. It is the incumbent dominant telecom operator in Norway, and the Norwegian government holds a stake of more than 50% in the firm. Telenor also operates in other Nordic countries like Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, and owns several businesses in Asia. Most of Telenor's operations are mobile businesses, although it also has some fixed-line operations in Nordic European countries.

Bouygues is a family-controlled French conglomerate that comprises a disparate range of assets: construction businesses, a TV network, and a telecom network. It is one of the largest construction companies in France and Europe, with over EUR 45 billion in revenue across the four engineering, procurement, and construction businesses under its ownership, as well as one of the four telecom operators in France.

Ulta Beauty is the largest specialized beauty retailer in the US with about 1,500 freestanding stores. The firm offers cosmetics (39% of 2024 sales), fragrances (13%), skin care (23%), and hair care products (19%). It also has salon services, including hair, makeup, skin, and brow, that account for about 4% of its revenue and drive traffic. Outside of the US, Ulta acquired premium beauty retailer Space NK and its 83 stores in the UK and Ireland in 2025, is opening franchised stores in Mexico, and has formed a joint venture to expand into the Middle East. In addition, Ulta collects royalties through its Target partnership (set to end in 2026) and credit card revenue. Ulta was founded in 1990 and is based in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

Telefonica Brasil, known as Vivo, is the largest wireless carrier in Brazil with 102 million customers, which is equal to about 39% market share. The firm is strongest in the postpaid business, where it has 68 million customers, or about 41% share of this market. Wireless services and equipment contribute about 70% of total revenue. Vivo is the incumbent fixed-line telephone operator in Sao Paulo state and also owns an extensive fiber network across the country. The firm provides internet access to 8 million households on this network. The firm also sells pay-TV and phone services to its fixed-line customers. Finally, corporate data and IT services, including cloud computing support, contribute about 9% of total revenue.

Telia is the incumbent telecom operator in Sweden. It also operates in Norway, Finland and the Baltic countries. In the past five years, Telia has been narrowing its business focus, divesting businesses in Asia and focusing on its core markets.

Burlington Stores Inc is off-price retailer offering an extensive selection of in-season, fashion-focused merchandise including: women’s ready-to-wear apparel, menswear, youth apparel, baby, beauty, footwear, accessories, home, toys, gifts and coats. Company sell a broad selection of desirable, first-quality, current-brand, labeled merchandise acquired directly from nationally recognized manufacturers and other suppliers. Company sell product in category such as Ladies apparel, Accessories and shoes, Home, Mens apparel, Kids apparel and baby and Outerwear.

Rogers Communications is the largest wireless service provider in Canada with more than 11 million subscribers, equating to one-third of the total Canadian market. Rogers' wireless business accounts for more than half of total revenue and has been growing at a higher rate than other segments. The cable segment, which provides about 38% of total revenue after acquiring Shaw, offers home internet, television, and landline phone service to consumers and businesses. Remaining sales come from Rogers' media unit, which owns and operates various television and radio stations and major Toronto sports franchises, including the Blue Jays, Maple Leafs, Raptors, Toronto FC, and Argonauts.

China United Network Communications Ltd is a Chinese telecom operator. It operates fixed and mobile communications services, as well as domestic and international communications facilities, a satellite IPLC service, a data communications service, a network access service, value-added telecom services, and system integration services related to information and communications services. The company provides its products to personal & residential customers, small & medium businesses, VIP customers, and international customers.

KPN is the incumbent telecommunications operator in the Netherlands. It has 40% share of the broadband market and 20% of the postpaid mobile market, with VodafoneZiggo (mobile and fixed) and Odido (mobile) as main competitors. KPN is rolling out fiber to the home in the Netherlands and expects to have most of the country covered by 2026. KPN's management has a cost-conscious mentality, something that has allowed it to grow dividends at midsingle digits over many years.

Dick’s Sporting Goods is a retailer that offers sports and outdoor apparel, footwear, and equipment online and in physical stores. The company’s legacy business includes more than 700 stores under its own name, more than 110 Golf Galaxy golf specialty stores, and about 50 outlet stores. In September 2025, Dick’s acquired multinational retailer Foot Locker. With this move, Dick’s added about 2,600 stores under the Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, atmos, and WSS nameplates in North America, the Asia-Pacific, and EMEA—Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Based in the Pittsburgh area, Dick’s was founded in 1948 by the father of current executive chair and controlling shareholder Edward Stack.