Pricing pressure in traditional technology services and slow growth in emerging technologies may turn out to be the spoiler for Indian infotech companies, says Ayan Pramanik.
First sequential decline in a decade as 8 of top 15 software firms report drop in manpower
The Bombay Stock Exchange has resumed trading after three hours on Thursday.
Infosys CEO Salil Parekh has got a massive 88 per cent jump in annual remuneration to Rs 79.75 crore, making him one of the highest-paid executives in the country. The software services firm has sought shareholders' approval for the reappointment of Parekh as chief executive officer and managing director for a second five-year term beginning July 1. According to the company's annual report released on Thursday, Parekh, 58, took home a salary of Rs 71.02 crore in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022.
Trading in the equity market this week will be highly influenced by a host of important triggers, with quarterly earnings from IT majors TCS, Wipro, and domestic inflation and IIP data taking the centre stage in dictating the movement in equities, analysts said. Besides, global factors and trading activity of foreign investors will also drive markets. "We are approaching the first quarter earnings season, with HCL Tech, TCS and Wipro set to report their earnings this week.
The combined weight of IT companies in the benchmark Nifty 50 index is now at a five-year high of 15 per cent as these companies continue to outperform the broader market.
The issue arose after TCS dismissed hundreds of employees in January 2015, leading to the formation of the IT Employees Wing supported by the NDLF.
Overlooked yet capable candidates will now have the opportunity to apply for TCS open requirements.
A slowdown in hiring by India's top IT companies has resulted in a sharp increase in the industry's profit per employee in Q3FY23. The top four IT companies earned a net profit of 1.7 lakh per employee during October-December 2022, up 8.6 per cent from Rs 1.57 lakh in Q2FY23 and 16.3 per cent from a record low of Rs 1.47 lakh in Q1FY23. Earnings per employee in the third quarter were, however, still down 0.9 per cent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis.
Equity benchmarks began the week on a downbeat note on Monday, weighed by heavy selling in market heavyweight Reliance Industries and persisting weakness in global bourses. The rupee plunged to its lifetime low against the US dollar amid unabated foreign fund outflows, underscoring the risk-off sentiment prevailing globally as central banks embark on policy tightening to tame soaring inflation. Slipping for the second straight session, the 30-share BSE Sensex shed 364.91 points or 0.67 per cent to close at 54,470.67.
At the end of June, 2016, TCS had a total headcount of 3.62 lakh.
Brokerages expect India Inc to report an upturn in earnings for the March quarter of 2022-23, after a relatively muted showing in the previous two quarters. This growth is expected to be led by banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) companies, FMCG firms, and automobile makers. The combined net profit of the Nifty50 companies (excluding Adani Enterprises) is expected to have grown 15.6 per cent to Rs 1.77 trillion in Q4FY23, from Rs 1.53 trillion a year ago.
At a time when the market is betting on a 'higher for longer' global interest rate view, Accenture's (ACN) weak revenue forecast is a negative read-through for the Indian IT firms, according to analysts. The Dublin-based company sees its revenue growth at 2-5 per cent in constant currency (cc) for the financial year 2024 (FY24), below the pre-Covid levels of 5-8 per cent for FY17-20. The weak projection, thus, signals that slower demand is likely to persist this year, and any recovery is unlikely in the near-to-medium term, experts note.
Country's third-largest software services firm Wipro has said it has been chosen as the official digital and IT partner for Chelsea Football Club.
Analysts expect the company to post 6.2% sequential growth in rupee revenue.
IT stocks have dropped about 3 per cent in the days since the Donald Trump administration took first steps toward visa reform and all of India's highest-profile technology tycoons have seen their net worth eroded. Saritha Rai reports.
The combined assets of the top five - Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys Technologies, Wipro, HCL Technologies and Tech Mahindra were down one per cent to Rs 27,7400 crore at the end of 2017-18, from Rs 28,0100 crore a year before.
By 2026, around 25 per cent of the global population may spend at least an hour a day on Metaverse. This will open the doors for many businesses, the NFTs market will spread, and Web 3.0 will attract more investment.
Strong macroeconomic headwinds causing turbulence in the $245-billion Indian IT industry are yet to calm down. Top Indian IT services companies are likely to post a decline or just marginal growth in sequential revenue in Q1FY24 because of a soft discretionary spending environment. Though the first quarter is seasonally strong for IT firms, "June 2023 will be an exception", according to analysts at Kotak Institutional Equities.
This is expected to benefit subcontractor firms such as Manpower Group, Randstad, Adecco, Kelly Services, Allegis Global Solutions and a host of other boutique staffing firms which supply skilled manpower to technology companies in the US.
Revenues, profit margins will be hit in the next one year, but more demand in the longer run.
Ajit Mishra, vice president, research, Religare Broking, answers your queries.
These were the fastest and most consistent wealth creators over the past 5 years.
While most analysts remain positive on TCS and Infosys, they are cautious on Wipro.
Analysts are of the opinion that 55 may emerge as the new age to retire for techies in India
Indian corporate are fast tapping the international bonds market to raise funds for their operational expenses even as they reduce their presence in the rupee bond market. As bonds are costlier for companies and investors are more sceptical than the banks, chief financial officers say they are looking at other avenues for raising funds in the coming months as dollar bond rates are lower in the range of 100 to 250 basis points. "For corporate with reasonable credit quality, the Indian bond market has become less of an option from a cost point of view. "In addition, conditions imposed in the Indian bond market by investors post Franklin episode have also become very onerous," said Prabal Banerjee, president-finance of Bajaj group. "Hence very few corporate are looking at the local bond market for resource mobilisation, since both, bank loans and the overseas bond markets are much more attractive," he said.
Geopolitical concerns, earnings sees investors rush to safe haven plays post the Union Budget presentation in July.
According to analysts, IT firms like Infosys, TCS and HCL Technologies are likely to benefit the most on account of larger US exposures and dollar billing.
From the beginning of 2021 Wipro has moved on to a new organisational structure. Analyst tracking the company are now wondering if CEO Thierry Delaporte's attempt to bolster Wipro's presence in the BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance) space by acquiring Capco for $1.45 billion is a step taken too early. Though many agree that Capco as a target may be good, but Wipro, which has been the most aggressive player in acquiring firms compared to its Indian players, does not have much to show in terms of performance as it continues to lag peers.
'Companies are being forced to pay higher salaries to retain and hire employees due to a big rise in attrition in the industry.'
Stronger rupee likely to take a toll; Infosys results on April 13 to be keenly watched
Will Infy spring a surprise in subdued second quarter?
On the macroeconomic data front, PMI data on manufacturing and services sector will also influence trading
The rally in mid- and small-cap stocks has spilled over into the IT sector as well. Second and third-tier IT stocks, which historically traded at a discount to the big five IT companies, are now trading at nearly 25 per cent premium to their large-cap peers. The smaller IT companies have a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of nearly 38 times against the big five's current P/E multiple of around 31x.
Where do Indian IT firms stand compared to their global peers in this journey of transformation? Ayan Pramanik seeks answers from IT services analyst Phil Fersht.
The key proposals from the IT industry that were not addressed included removal of dual levies on software products
There are no major announcements in the Union Budget 2014-15.
Over the past week, the BSE Sensex ended on a muted note, showing a marginal gain of 2.25 points at 28,114.56.
The government on Thursday tweaked curbs on imports of laptops and computers as it allowed importers to bring in shipments of IT hardware from overseas on a mere 'authorisation' upon detailing quantity and value. The new 'import management system' is aimed at monitoring shipments of laptops, tablets and computers into the country without hurting market supply or creating a cumbersome licensing regime. The announcement is likely to provide relief to companies in the IT hardware segment in India as they had flagged concerns over the imposition of a strict licensing regime for importers.
'Pockets of mid and small-cap indices are showing exuberance and are discounting even FY23 valuations now.'
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