Infosys Technologies Ltd, India's largest listed software services exporter, said on Thursday its quarterly net profit rose 23 per cent, aided by growing outsourcing business, but the result fell short of market expectations.
The software major Infosys Technologies on Friday said it has been served with the notice in second sexual harassment lawsuit filed against the company and its former director Phaneesh Murthy during the quarter ending December 2003.
The $4.6-billion company, which had earlier made an unsuccessful bid to acquire SAP consulting firm Axon that was latter acquired by HCL, would prefer acquiring companies overseas where growing organically is a little challenge, the Bangalore-headquartered company's CEO and MD S (Kris) Gopalakrishna said.
A day after a record-breaking run, stock prices continued to soar on Wednesday amid expectations of better-than-expected earnings by IT bellwether Infosys Technologies on Thursday.
nfosys Managing Director and CEO S (Kris) Gopalakrishnan speaks about the company to Business Standard.
In yet another example by an Indian corporate to become cost-sensitive, IT bellweather Infosys Technologies is asking all its employees to go in for a one-time cost savings of $10 each. This initiative is expected to help the company, which has over 100,000 people on its rolls, to incur a cost saving of $1 million (around Rs 5 crore), which is a 'substantial amount' according to the company.
The Indian IT major spent a total of Rs 15 crore (Rs 150 million) towards the failed deal, but in the process received Rs 33 crore (Rs 330 million) from the UK firm, as inducement fees. Two of India's leading software services firm were in the race to acquire the London Stock Exchange-listed Axon, but last month HCL Technologies outbid Infosys and acquired the British firm.
The company's total income stood at Rs 5,821 crore, showing an over six per cent rise, at the end of the September quarter of the current fiscal.
Tata Steel was the biggest loser in the Sensex pack, sliding 8.59 per cent, followed by Tata Motors, Larsen & Toubro, Adani Ports, IndusInd Bank, Tech Mahindra, Reliance Industries, Sun Pharmaceutical, HCL Technologies, Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, and NTPC, were the major laggards. On the other hand, Bajaj Finance, HDFC Bank, Nestle India, ICICI Bank, ITC, Asian Paints and Axis Bank were among the gainers.
United States, the largest market for the $282 billion Indian IT sector, is a "wild card" for the industry, lobby grouping Nasssom's president Rajesh Nambiar said on Monday. Speaking to reporters Nambiar said the tariff threats by the US may turn out to be the biggest headwind for the sector. "Broadly, if you were to look at the headwinds, the biggest unknown there would be the tariffs and the impact of what happens in the US market," Nambiar said.
Consolidated net sales shot up by 6.87 per cent
Crossing $1 billion in revenues, software major Infosys Technologies on Tuesday reported a net profit of Rs 1243.83 crore (Rs 12.44 billion) during the fiscal 2003-2004, a jump from Rs 954.77 crore (Rs 9.55 billion) in the previous fiscal.
Software major Infosys Technologies on Tuesday announced a consolidated net profit of Rs 4,659 crore (Rs 46.59 billion) for the year ended March 31, a 20.82 per cent growth over the corresponding period a year ago. Infosys had a consolidated net profit of Rs 3,856 crore (Rs 38.56 billion) for the year ended March 31, 2007, the second-largest exporter of software services said in a filing to the BSE.
Infosys Technologies said on Tuesday that it will decide on issuing bonus shares or stock split during its board meeting in Bangalore on April 13.
'We will have to wait for at least two quarters of data to ascertain whether the recovery is real and sustainable.'
Looking at the forthcoming year, while there will be macroeconomic challenges, industry in India is better off because we are still growing. If we manage the next 12-18 months, we should emerge stronger, says S Gopalakrishnan.
Information technology (IT) stocks ended at their lowest in nearly nine months after a fresh bout of selling, triggered by concerns over a recession in the US, the key market for domestic software exporters. A report by Morgan Stanley citing risks to growth also weighed on sentiment.
Even as the strong anti-outsourcing lobby in the US is forcing US lawmakers to take a relook at their H1-B visa strategy amid huge job losses, Infosys Technologies which holds the largest number of H1-B visas among all the Indian IT services companies has started reducing the number as a part of the company's policy to reduce its 'overseas bench' strength.
Infosys Technologies, India's second-largest IT services company, has revised upwards its hiring estimate for the current financial year to 40,000 up 11 per cent from the 36,000 projected earlier as the company ramps up capacity to capitalise on emerging opportunities.
Infosys Technologies has announced its first quarter results.
Infosys Technologies appears to have set out on a journey of generational change which will unravel over the next few years.
The Nifty IT Index, the gauge for the performance of information technology (IT) stocks, was the worst performer on the stock exchanges on July 29, a day after Infosys posted lower-than-expected earnings growth for the June quarter and sharply cut its revenue growth guidance for 2023-24 (FY24). The IT index was down 4.1 per cent, its biggest one-day fall in three months. The decline was led by Infosys, with its shares plunging nearly 8 per cent, followed by HCLTech (-3.2 per cent), Wipro (-3.0 per cent), and TCS (-2.7 per cent).
Software major Infosys Technologies on Tuesday announced a 33.31 per cent growth in consolidated net profit at Rs 1,641 crore (Rs 16.41 billion) for the third quarter ended December 31, 2008, over the corresponding period a year ago.
IT services major Infosys on Wednesday announced a new programme, wherein it will offer 500 job seekers the opportunity to complete a fully digital, online diploma course certified by Salesforce. The programme aims to prepare Americans for 21st century careers in the technology sector. Leveraging Trailhead, Salesforce's free online learning platform, the program will train these 500 American workers, free of cost, for roles at Infosys as Salesforce Certified Administrators and Salesforce Industries Developers, a statement said. The programme, targeting recent graduates from major universities, liberal arts colleges, and community colleges, will help Infosys to create a workforce prepared for the future, it added.
India's export-driven IT services industry would see erosion in margins due to the strengthening of the rupee, a top official of Infosys Technologies said on Friday.
'Could the impending new crisis, vibe coding, similarly create not a disaster like what befell Indian handlooms during the Industrial Revolution but another opportunity like what the Y2K crisis created?' asks Ajit Balakrishnan.
The new move is expected to help boost employee morale.
IndusInd Bank was the biggest gainer in the Sensex pack, rising 3.25 per cent, followed by Tech Mahindra, Wipro, Bharti Airtel, HCL Technologies, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, RIL, TCS, L&T and Infosys. State Bank of India, NTPC, Maruti, Bajaj Finserv, Tata Motors and Power Grid were among the laggards, slipping up to 2.94 per cent.
India's second-largest IT services exporter targets Australia, Japan, South Africa.
"It may not affect the industry, but there would be change in the perception and image of the industry if trade unions are introduced," Gopalakrishnan told a meet-the-press programme in Bangalore.
'Binary fission will happen -- startups will lead to more startups.'
