Infosys Q3 net profit rises to Rs. 2,875 crore, beats Street
Infosys on Friday posted better-than-expected net profit of Rs. 2,875 crore on sales of Rs. 13,026 crore for the October to December quarter. India’s second biggest outsourcer also upped its annual sales outlook, a sign that outsourcing demand is improving in key markets like the US and Europe.
Infosys said it will grow at 11.5 to 12 per cent during 2013-14 versus its earlier estimate of 9-10 per cent. Analysts had estimated the company to raise guidance to 10-12 per cent.
Infosys said dollar revenues rose to $2100 million in the third quarter, up 1.64 per cent from $ 2066 million in the previous quarter. Brokers polled by NDTV had expected the company to clock $2109 million in the December quarter.
Ebit or operating margins rose to 25 per cent against 23.5 per cent in the previous quarter because of initiatives to bring more efficiencies into operations, Rajiv Bansal, chief financial officer of Infosys said.
Infosys shares traded with over 2.5 per cent gains after rising as much as 10 per cent in pre-open trade. As of 10.03 a.m., Infosys shares traded at Rs. 3,537.50.
Infosys earnings had a positive rub off on other tech stocks, with the broader IT benchmark on the BSE rising 1.3 per cent as against a 0.1 per cent gain in the BSE Sensex.
Gautam Chhaochharia of UBS said Infosys sales are marginally below estimates, but margins have surprised positively. Cost reduction is having bigger impact on margins in our view, he added.
Sanjeev Hota of Sharekhan said Infosys has met expectations on most of the counts and the management is sounding confident after 4-5 quarters.
“The positive commentary is an important aspect of the earnings,” he added.
Infosys chief executive SD Shibulal said, “We believe the global economic environment has improved and our clients are gaining confidence to invest in their strategic initiatives.”
Infosys has focused on winning large IT outsourcing contracts since the return of its founder Narayana Murthy in June 2013. The company has cut costs aggressively, but at the same time given wage hikes to employees. Analysts said the strategy seems to be working for the company.
Everbody is betting on Mr Murthy, Mr Hota said.
Infosys has witnessed eight big exits in the last six months and many analysts have linked the resignations to the battle for the chief executive’s chair.
Current incumbent SD Shibulal retires in 2015 after which Infosys is likely to get a non-founder boss for the first time.
In an answer to a question, Mr Shibulal said Infosys not losing market share due to senior level exits.
