Sydney, Jan 20, 2026, 17:43 AEDT — Market closed
Telstra Group Ltd shares closed unchanged at A$4.78 on Tuesday, maintaining their ground even as Australia’s wider market dipped and investors favored defensive stocks. The price fluctuated between A$4.76 and A$4.81, with roughly 20.4 million shares traded. 1
The S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.7% to 8,815.90, marking its biggest single-day drop in over a month, dragged down by financials and miners. Philip Pepe, senior equities analyst at Shaw and Partners, noted banks were “losing steam” amid renewed rate-hike bets and investor rotation. 2
The pullback has been attributed to souring risk appetite and tariff news, with technical traders eyeing whether the benchmark can maintain key levels after recent highs. “It’s important that the current pullback holds uptrend support at approximately 8750 to keep the uptrend intact,” said Tony Sycamore, market analyst at IG. He highlighted the 200-day moving average—a widely watched long-term trend line—as the next downside target if that support fails. 3
Telstra faces a key company-specific event with its half-year results coming on Feb. 19. Investors are also eyeing the dividend timeline: ex-dividend trading kicks off Feb. 25, the cutoff for buyers to qualify for the next payout. The interim dividend is set for payment on March 27, as outlined in Telstra’s investor calendar. 4
Until that point, the stock will probably track interest rates closely. Telstra acts like a yield play — investors snap it up for income as bond yields drop, but sell off when yields climb and other options become more attractive.
Traders are eyeing if the selling pressure spills over into defensives. Should the ASX remain weak and volatility rise, low-beta telcos could still take a hit as funds pull back risk across their portfolios.
There’s a risk here. Should Telstra miss guidance at the half-year mark, or if competition pushes prices lower in mobile and broadband, that “safe” label could vanish quickly. In that case, the stock’s dividend appeal might not be enough to prevent a rerating.
Macro data will play a key role too. Australia’s labour force numbers due Thursday and the December-quarter inflation report next week could shift rate expectations ahead of the Reserve Bank’s Feb. 3 meeting. This backdrop could stir yield-sensitive stocks even if there’s no new company news.
Telstra held steady during a sluggish session. Investors will get a clearer picture with the February 19 earnings report. Meanwhile, the ex-dividend date later that month is likely to attract income-focused buyers and short-term traders to the stock.
