Asia Value & Moat Stocks is a research service for value investors seeking Asia-listed stocks with a huge gap between price and intrinsic value, leaning towards deep value balance sheet bargains (i.e. buying assets at a discount e.g. net cash stocks, net-nets, low P/B stocks, sum-of-the-parts discounts) and wide moat stocks (i.e. buying earnings power at a discount in great companies like "Magic Formula" stocks, high-quality businesses, hidden champions and wide moat compounders). Sign up here to get starte ...

BENGALURU, India, Oct. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Zoomcar Holdings, Inc. ("Zoomcar" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: ZCAR), the Nasdaq-listed leading marketplace for self-drive car sharing, welcomes back Waze Co-Founder Uri Levine as the Strategic and Financial Advisor. Mr. Levine served as Zoomcar's Chairman of the Board from 2021 to 2023, prior to its public listing, and will now provide strategic oversight to the Zoomcar team with a strong focus on problem solving, operational excellence, and capital growth. As ...

Infosys (INFY) reported second-quarter fiscal 2025 earnings of 19 cents per share, which matched the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The bottom line improved 5.6% from the year-ago quarter's earnings of 18 cents. INFY's fiscal second-quarter revenues improved 3.7% to $4.894 billion from the year-ago quarter's revenues of $4.72 billion. The top line marginally surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.89 billion. The robust growth in the top line can be attributed to large deals and stable demand across Financi ...

Financial Performance and Key Metrics - Revenue grew 3.1% quarter-on-quarter and 3.3% year-on-year in constant currency terms [4] - Operating margin for Q2 was stable at 21.1%, with free cash flow for the quarter at $839 million [4] - Employee attrition remained stable at 12.9%, and the company plans to launch employee compensation increases in two phases effective January 1, 2025, and April 1, 2025 [4] - Revenue for Q2 was $4.9 billion, up 3.1% sequentially and 3.3% year-on-year in constant currency terms, including an 8.8% benefit from acquisitions [9] - Utilization improved to 85.9%, up 60 basis points sequentially, and headcount increased by approximately 2,500 employees, marking the first sequential growth after six quarters of declines [10] - Free cash flow conversion was approximately 108% for Q1, and H1 free cash flow was 41% higher than H1 last year [10] Business Line Performance - Financial services grew at 2% quarter-on-quarter, while manufacturing saw double-digit growth, and energy, utilities, and services grew at 5.8% [4] - The financial services segment in the U.S. saw increased discretionary spend in capital markets, mortgages, cards, and payments, while the automotive sector in Europe experienced slowness [5] - Retail sector continues to be impacted by economic and political uncertainties, with cost takeout efficiency and consolidation being key priorities for clients [12] - Manufacturing sector saw strong growth, partially contributed by acquisitions, with opportunities around supply chain optimization, cloud ERP, smart factory, and connected devices [14] Market Performance - Growth was observed in all geographies on a quarter-on-quarter basis, with Europe now accounting for approximately 30% of revenue [7] - Large deals totaled $2.4 billion, with 41% being net new, and the pipeline for deals below $50 million saw a double-digit quarter-on-quarter increase [4][11] - The company signed 21 large deals with a total contract value (TCV) of $2.4 billion, with 41% being net new, and actual large deal wins stood at 55 deals with a TCV of $6.5 billion, 51% of which was net new [11] Strategic Direction and Industry Competition - The company is deepening its work in generative AI, deploying enterprise generative AI platforms and building a small language model leveraging industry and Infosys' data sets [5] - The generative AI approach is helping clients drive growth and productivity, with partnerships to build a strong data foundation critical for generative AI programs [6] - The company revised its revenue growth guidance for the financial year to 3.75% to 4.5% in constant currency terms, while maintaining operating margin guidance at 20% to 22% [6] Management Commentary on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - The company sees sustained strength and differentiation in the industry, with a focus on generative AI and digital transformation [5] - Management noted that discretionary spend trends remain stable, with clients prioritizing cost efficiency over discretionary initiatives [5] - The company remains optimistic about the future, with strong performance in Q2 and a revised revenue growth guidance reflecting confidence in continued momentum [6] Other Important Information - The board announced an interim dividend of Rs 21 per share, an increase of 16.7% compared to last year [10] - The company closed 21 large deals with a TCV of $2.4 billion, with 41% being net new, and actual large deal wins stood at 55 deals with a TCV of $6.5 billion, 51% of which was net new [11] Q&A Session Summary Question: Reasons for changing revenue guidance - The increase in guidance was due to strong Q2 performance, broad-based growth, and a double-digit increase in smaller deals below $50 million [17] Question: Impact of generative AI on large transformation projects - Generative AI is currently more focused on productivity rather than driving large transformation projects, though it is a component of large deals [18] Question: Margin tailwinds in the second half - Tailwinds include benefits from Project Maximus, such as pricing improvements and optimization, which will help offset the impact of wage hikes [20] Question: Discretionary spend outlook - Discretionary spend is expected to remain muted, with seasonality factors such as furloughs and fewer working days baked into the guidance [22] Question: Pricing conversations and deal terms - Pricing environment remains stable, with progress in value-based selling under Project Maximus contributing to margin improvements [25] Question: Large deal TCV momentum - The large deal pipeline remains strong, with a focus on cost efficiency, automation, and consolidation, though smaller deals are also showing increased activity [26] Question: BFSI vertical outlook - Discretionary spend in financial services remains strong, particularly in capital markets, mortgages, and cards and payments, though large transformation programs are still limited [28] Question: Traction on generative AI work - Generative AI projects are progressing, with a focus on productivity and cost takeout, though the company has not shared specific customer adoption metrics [35][37] Question: Small language model positioning - The small language model is being developed for industry-specific use cases and will serve as a foundation for building generative AI applications [38] Question: Growth moderation in H2 - H2 growth is expected to slow due to seasonality, including furloughs and fewer working days, though the company remains confident in its guidance [42] Question: Utilization levels and hiring trends - Utilization levels are at a comfortable range, and future volume growth will come from net hiring rather than further utilization improvements [44] Question: Smaller deals and discretionary spend - Smaller deals below $50 million have seen a double-digit increase, reflecting a potential shift in market activity, though it is too early to determine if this trend is durable [61] Question: Mega deal pipeline - The company does not share specific data on mega deals but notes that the overall large deal pipeline remains strong [79] Question: TCV to revenue conversion - There has been no significant change in TCV to revenue conversion, with the company continuing to gain market share [80] Question: Value-based pricing examples - Value-based pricing under Project Maximus includes new age pricing and change request tracks, contributing to improved realization and pricing [81]

For the quarter ended September 2024, Infosys (INFY) reported revenue of $4.89 billion, up 3.7% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $0.19, compared to $0.18 in the year-ago quarter. The reported revenue represents a surprise of +0.18% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.89 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $0.19, the company has not delivered EPS surprise. While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to W ...

FY25 revenue guidance revised to 3.75%-4.50%; Margin guidance retained at 20%-22% BENGALURU, India, Oct. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, delivered broad based growth performance with $4,894 million in Q2 revenues, sequential growth of 3.1% and year on year growth of 3.3% in constant currency. Operating margin for Q2 was at 21.1%. Free cash flow for Q2 was at $839 million, growing 25.2% year on year. TC ...

Establishes state-of-the-art global capability center in India to drive AI-led innovation MUNICH and BENGALURU, India , Oct. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced a strategic collaboration with zooplus, a leading European e-commerce company based in Munich, Germany, to enhance its service capability and scalability. The collaboration will establish a state-of-the-art Global Capability Center ...

Infosys (INFY) shares have gained 26.9% in the year to date period, outperforming the Zacks Computers - IT Services industry's return of 10.7%. INFY stock has also outperformed the Zacks Computer and Technology Sector and the S&P 500 index's return of 24.2% and 20.7%, respectively, in the year to date period. This outperformance reflects investors' confidence in INFY's financials, innovative product launches and steady flow of customer wins. Recently, Old National Bank has extended its agreement with Infosy ...

In conjunction with Microsoft, Infosys Cobalt, Topaz, and Aster will aim to enhance customer experiences and drive global adoption of enterprise AI BENGALURU, India, Oct. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NSE: INFY), (BSE: INFY), (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced an expansion of its collaboration with Microsoft to help accelerate customer adoption of generative AI and Microsoft Azure, globally. The strategic collaboration is aimed at helping Inf ...

EVANSVILLE, Indiana , Oct. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, and Old National Bank (NASDAQ: ONB), the sixth largest commercial bank headquartered in the Midwest, recently entered into a strategic expansion of their four-year collaboration. This deepening of a highly successful relationship enables Old National to leverage Infosys services, solutions and platforms for operations transformation and process ...