Weakness in the information technology (IT) sector hiring has weighed on Info Edge (India) over the past year, leading to a 13 per cent correction in the stock during this period. While the company's 2025-26 (FY26) third-quarter (October-December/Q3) performance showed a marginal improvement, brokerages believe the IT hiring outlook remains weak due to macroeconomic uncertainty in the US.
Hit by a slowdown in information technology (IT) hiring, Info Edge (India)'s results for the July-September quarter (Q2) of 2025-26 (FY26) fell short of brokerage expectations. What helped the online recruitment major offset the weak IT hiring trend was broad-based growth across other sectors.
Info Edge (India) topped expectations in its October-December quarter (Q3) results, posting strong revenue and profit growth. Its shares have rallied as much as 6.14 per cent in two days. The technology holding company's revenue rose 15.2 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to Rs 722.3 crore, driven by robust performance across its key verticals, particularly its recruitment business.
The stock of online classified major Info Edge (India) was up over 6 per cent on Friday on expectations of demand improvement for Indian IT companies. Strong revenue growth prospects for each of its online verticals - including recruitment, matrimony, real estate, education, and upside from its holdings in companies such as Zomato - had prompted Goldman Sachs to upgrade the stock. Info Edge's standalone revenue grew 10.6 per cent year on year (Y-o-Y) in Q2FY25, beating consensus. 99acres (+16.9 per cent Y-o-Y) and Jeevansathi (+33 per cent Y-o-Y) were drivers of growth while recruitment grew 8.5 per cent Y-o-Y.
Info Edge (India), the country's leading consumer internet company known for its platforms in recruitment (naukri.com), real estate (99acres.com), matrimony (jeevansathi.com) and education (shiksha.com) space, delivered revenue growth in line with expectations in the April-June quarter (Q1) of FY25.
Although the third quarter of financial year (2023-2024) FY24 (Q3FY24) was marginally below expectations, Info Edge (India) is witnessing strong investment trends and hitting new highs. The big driver is optimism about a pickup in the jobs market, which benefits Naukri.com and could mean upgrades in Q4FY24 expectations. The JobSpeak Index, which Naukri.com releases on a monthly basis, is showing a "transformative shift".
Taking a strong view of Google pulling out some apps from its Play Store, the government on Saturday said delisting of Indian apps cannot be permitted and that the tech company and the startups concerned have been called for a meeting next week. In an interview to PTI, IT and Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the startup ecosystem is key to the Indian economy and their fate cannot be left to any big tech to decide. The minister's comments assume significance as Google on Friday began removing some apps, including popular matrimony apps, from its Play Store in India over a dispute on service fee payments, even as apps and well-known startup founders cried foul.
Info Edge (India) reported good Q2FY24 results with hiring across other segments helping offset weak IT performance. The revenue increased 11.5 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to Rs 593 crore, (up 1.5 per cent quarter-on-quarter or Q-o-Q). The earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (Ebitda) margin was excellent at 40.7 per cent, up 200 basis points year-on-year (Y-o-Y).
Info Edge (India) reported a good fourth quarter for the 2022-23 financial year (Q4FY23) given depressed conditions in the Key IT segment. The billing growth of 13.7 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in recruitment was well ahead of market expectations. There was solid growth in realisations (up 5.5 per cent) as well as unique customers (up 7.7 per cent).
Food delivery platform Zomato has filed preliminary papers with capital market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to raise Rs 8,250 crore through an initial share-sale.
Info Edge (India), provider of online recruitment, matrimonial and real estate classifieds and related services, plans to launch a portal exclusively focused on education, a top company official said.
Shares of Zomato on Friday zoomed nearly 53 per cent in its debut trade against its issue price of Rs 76. The stock made its debut at Rs 115, reflecting a huge gain of 51.31 per cent against the issue price on the BSE. It then hit a high of Rs 138, a jump of 81.57 per cent.
Recruitment activity in India is poised to improve this year, driven by sectors such as IT and ITeS, after hiring remaining largely unchanged in December from a month earlier.
Changes have been made in several indices including Nifty 500, Nifty 200, Nifty 100, Nifty Midcap 150, Nifty Smallcap 250 and host of sectoral indices including FMCG, IT, media, pharma, commodities and services sector.
Zomato's mega initial public offering (IPO) ended with a bumper 38 times oversubscription on Friday as institutional investors poured money to get a pie of the hottest online food delivery platform. Zomato got bids for 2,751.25 crore shares against 71.92 crore shares on offer, stock exchange data showed. The IPO is India's biggest since March 2020. Institutional investors, who shied away in the first two days of the IPO, bid several times over the number of shares reserved for them.
Food ordering platform Zomato, whose Rs 9,375 crore IPO opens on July 14, is planning to launch a grocery section on its app soon, a senior company official said. The company recently invested USD 100 million (around Rs 745 crore) for acquiring a minority stake in grocery delivery platform Grofers. "It (grocery) is a large opportunity. The online grocery is nascent right now but is growing rapidly not just in India but across the world... "We are actively experimenting in that space and recently invested $100 million for a minority stake in Grofers, with the idea of getting more exposure to that space and building our strategies and plan around that business," Zomato CFO Akshant Goyal said.
Sector-wise, IT and BFSI sectors are expected to witness the maximum number of job creation, followed by manufacturing, pharma and ITES.
The third-quarter financials didn't excite market watchers. But equity investors can still make money if they invest in the right stocks.
Half of the nation's 100 richest saw gains rising a collective 14% to $517.5 billion, says Forbes. Forbes released 2020's top 100 richest Indians on Thursday, which included newcomers, Sanjeev Bikhchandani, co-founder of Info Edge (India), who owns popular job and property websites; siblings Nithin and Nikhil Kamath, co-founders of discount stock brokerage Zerodha Broking, and three specialty chemicals producers - Vinod Saraf, founder of Vinati Organics, Arun Bharat Ram, the patriarch of SRF, and brothers Chandrakant and Rajendra Gogri of Aarti Industries. Other newcomers included Delhi-based brothers Ramesh Kumar and Mukand Lal Dua of Relaxo Footwears, which owns affordable footwear brands; dairyman, R G Chandramogan of Hatsun Agro; Premchand Godha, who chairs IPCA Laboratories, manufacturing formulations, bulk drugs and drug intermediates; G Rajendran, founder of jewellery chain, GRT Jewellers.
Hiring activities witnessed a moderate increase of 3 per cent in September with most of the sectors showing positive recruitment trends after a dip in the index the previous month, according to job portal Naukri.com said.
India Inc's hiring activity witnessed a marginal decline in the month of April, owing to the ongoing appraisal season, but overall industries are upbeat about their hiring sentiment and 2011 is expected to be a landmark year for job creation, job portal Naukri.Com says.
Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Founder & CEO, Info Edge (India), and B S Nagesh, CEO, Shoppers Stop, say hiring is not taking place in companies the way it was happening two to three years earlier.
Mutual funds bought FMCG, construction, auto, and IT stocks in November.
Uber Eats in India will discontinue operations and direct restaurants, delivery partners, and users of the Uber Eats apps to the Zomato platform, effective Tuesday, a statement said. The deal comes days after Zomato had raised USD 150 million in funding from existing investor Ant Financial, an Alibaba affiliate, at a USD 3 billion valuation.
The Naukri Job Speak Index -- which tracks monthly hiring activities online -- stood at 1,300 showing a 1 per cent growth in hiring, when compared to October 2013.
Food delivery platform Zomato's initial public offering was oversubscribed on the opening day on Wednesday with retail investors bidding for 2.7 times the number of shares reserved for them. The offer received bids for 75.60 crore equity shares against an IPO size of 71.92 crore, stock exchange data showed. Retail investors sought 2.69 times the portion reserved for them. Against 12.95 crore shares reserved for retail individual investors, 34.88 crore shares were bid by 1700 hours.
The initial public offer of Info Edge (India) Ltd, owner of job portal Naukri.com, has received an enthusiastic response from investors with the issue getting subscribed by more than five times on the second day itself.
"I must be the most risk averse person I have met. I am really scared of risks. The point is to keep de-risking at every opportunity," says Sanjeev Bikhchandani, CEO, Naukri.com.
Info Edge India Ltd, owner of job portal Naukri.com will be listing on Tuesday as its founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani rings the opening bell at the Bombay Stock Exchange
The scaling of the 13,000 peak by the benchmark index Sensex has lead to a spurt in the primary arkets as well with Info Edge India Ltd, owner of job portal naukri.com, receiving a massive response to its public offer.
Portfolio returns, say analysts at Morgan Stanley, are more likely to be driven by bottom-up stock-picking rather than top-down macro forces.
In signs of sluggishness in the labour market, hiring activities declined in May as employers remained cautious tracking macro economic conditions.
The demand for professionals working in banking and insurance and production maintenance also saw the maximum dip during October.
Apart from the telecom and BPO sector, IT and banking sector and auto and pharma experienced significant year-on-year growth during August.
The Naukri Job Speak Index for last month stood at 1,649, up 20 per cent compared to July 2013.
The Naukri Job Speak Index for March stood at 1,475, showing stability in hiring activity, when compared to the previous month.
With scrutiny that comes with a public listing, Deepinder Goyal's leadership could face its sternest test yet.
Sector-wise, oil & gas witnessed monthly growth of 30 per cent in hiring while insurance sector registered an increase of 25 per cent compared to September.
Sectorwise, oil & gas and BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance) witnessed the maximum year-on-year growths of 27 per cent and 17 per cent in December 2014.
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TPG was one of the first global private equity firms to enter Asia, opening a Shanghai office in 1994.
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