Which is the cheapest ASX telco to buy now?

Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX:TLS), TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX:TPM) and Vocus Group Ltd (ASX:VOC) have all sunk. So is there an opportunity among them?

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It certainly hasn't been the best year for Australia's major telecommunications companies.

The share prices of Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS), TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPM) and Vocus Group Ltd (ASX: VOC) have all taken a beating in the past year.

So can we find a bargain among these sinking stocks?

Telstra shares are trading at around $3.47, dropping from $4.88 this time last year, representing a yearly decline of about 29%.

At the current share price, stock in Australia's biggest telco is going for about 10x trailing earnings with Telstra reporting EBITDA of $10.7 billion for FY 2017.

For FY 2018, Telstra, with a market value of about $41 billion, is expecting EBITDA ranging between $10.7 billion and $11.2 billion, which is unlikely to mark much of an improvement on FY 2017, if any.

Telstra ended FY 2018 with about $42 billion in total assets against about $27.5 billion in total liabilities, meaning the company has about $1.50 of assets for every $1 of liabilities.

This is not a particularly impressive figure and falls well short of a standard ratio of $2 of assets for each $1 of liabilities that would indicate a stronger financial position.

TPG's share price has also been smacked around a bit, dropping from above $7 a year ago to close on Monday at $5.76.

TPG shares are trading at about 12x trailing earnings, with EBITDA of $890 million for FY 2017, up 5% on the previous year, according to the Telco.

But TPG is expecting EBITDA for FY 2018 to drop to somewhere between $800 million and $815 million.

The Vocus Group share price has dropped by about 44% in the past year to land on $2.99 on Monday, making the worst performer among a dismal bunch.

Vocus is aiming for EBITDA of between $370 million and $390 million for FY 2018 which would represent a slight increase on the telco's FY 2017 EBITDA of $366.4 million.

All this means that I'm not particularly keen on any of the major telcos.

However, I will continue to keep an eye on Telstra, as I think it's the best of the bunch, and should its price come down a bit I will jump in.

But for now, I think it would be a sound decision to hold off and continue to look for better opportunities in the market.

Motley Fool contributor Steve Holland has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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