Placed in the Leaders Quadrant for our Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision NEW YORK, March 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyndryl (NYSE: KD), the world's largest IT infrastructure services provider, today announced it has been recognized as a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Outsourced Digital Workplace Services (ODWS). A complimentary copy of the full report is available here. The Gartner Magic Quadrant evaluates vendors based on their Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision. Kyndryl ...

Core Insights - The company reported a revenue of 1.356 billion yuan for the fiscal year 2024, representing a year-on-year growth of 6.8% [2] - Adjusted net profit reached 80.169 million yuan, showing a significant increase of 427% year-on-year [2] - Adjusted EBITDA was 676 million yuan, reflecting a growth of 19.4% compared to the previous year [2] Business Model and Services - The company provides a subscription-based, one-stop IT equipment management service for enterprises, addressing issues related to high upfront costs and maintenance complexities [2] - The service model includes features such as "one device to start, return anytime, no deposit, monthly payment, pay after use, and full warranty" [2] Customer Metrics - As of the end of the reporting period, the number of active enterprise customers reached 51,000, a year-on-year increase of 9.1% [2] - The number of serviced devices grew from 1.204 million in 2023 to 1.374 million in 2024, marking a 14.1% increase [2] - The number of "core customers" increased by 15.8% year-on-year [2] Product Development and Innovation - In 2024, the company launched AI PCs from brands like HP, Lenovo, and Apple, expanding its IT product offerings [2] - The company has developed its own business-specific all-in-one machines, monitors, and hosts to provide cost-effective services for enterprise clients [2] After-Sales Service - The company offers a longer warranty period and faster service response times compared to direct purchases, which is crucial for small and medium-sized enterprises lacking IT support [3] - The self-developed engineer scheduling system "Xuanji" allows real-time dispatch of over 6,000 engineers, enabling on-site service within 2 to 4 hours [3] - The core customer retention rate for 2024 is nearly 90% [3] Manufacturing Capabilities - The company independently developed DefectGPT, an industrial-grade model for remanufacturing applications, which supports its leading position in the industry [3] - The annual remanufacturing capacity for 2024 is reported to be 856,000 units [3]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - For the quarter ending December 31, 2024, the company reported net investment income of $0.8 million or $0.06 per share, down from $0.16 per share in the prior quarter [4] - The net asset value per share decreased by $0.16 to $5.39 compared to $5.55 as of September 30, 2024 [4] - The fair value of the portfolio was $191.6 million compared to $190.1 million at September 30 [17] - Net assets were $77.6 million, a decline of $2.3 million from the prior quarter [17] - The weighted average yield of the debt portfolio decreased slightly from 10.5% to 10.4% [17] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The median EBITDA of the portfolio remained flat at approximately $61.76 million, while the weighted average net leverage increased from 4.8 times to 5 times [9] - The percentage of covenant appeals increased from 70% to 77% [9] - The weighted average yield of debt investments made in the quarter was approximately 11.8% [11] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Approximately 30% of the portfolio may experience moderate effects from tariffs, with strategies in place to mitigate these risks [7] - The company is strategically targeting investments in critical sectors and defensive industries, including a recent investment in the data center sector [8] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company remains focused on capital preservation and NAV stability, with a disciplined investment approach [22] - The management is adapting to economic uncertainties and believes the portfolio is well-positioned for the shifting economic environment [6][7] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted that heightened market volatility has created a tightening spread environment, impacting investment yields [5] - There is optimism for a resurgence in M&A activity post-election, although risks from tariff wars and fiscal policy changes create uncertainty [5][6] - The company does not foresee significant changes in investment yields in the near term, expecting them to remain around 10.5% [34] Other Important Information - The company appointed Andrew Muns as Chief Operating Officer, enhancing the executive team [3] - The company has approximately $12.1 million in cash, with $11.3 million being restricted cash [20] - A distribution of $0.12 per share was declared for the quarter ending March 31, 2025, payable in cash [19] Q&A Session Summary Question: What was the cause for the drop in PIK income quarter-over-quarter? - The drop was due to a reversal of non-accrual for one portfolio company in the previous quarter, which inflated PIK income [25] Question: What are the comments on the sustainability of the dividend given lower yields and higher leverage? - The company is constantly evaluating the dividend sustainability and will monitor the portfolio's performance [26][27] Question: Is the company changing to a calendar fiscal year? - Yes, the company has changed its fiscal year from June to December [28][30] Question: Where does the company see the trend for investment yield over the next quarter or two? - The investment yield is expected to remain stable around 10.5%, barring any economic shocks [34][36]

Core Viewpoint - Serve Robotics (SERV) has experienced a significant decline in share price, dropping 52.9% over the past three months, which is a stark contrast to the performance of the broader market and technology sector [1][2]. Financial Performance - SERV reported a loss of 36 cents per share in Q4 2024, which was worse than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 19 cents. Additionally, estimates for 2025 have been revised downward by 17 cents to a projected loss of 83 cents per share [7]. - The company has never turned a profit since its establishment in 2021, indicating ongoing financial struggles [9][10]. Customer Concentration Risk - As of December 31, 2024, SERV's revenue is heavily reliant on two customers, Magna and Uber, which together account for 91% of total revenues. This high dependence poses a risk to sales and profitability if either customer is lost [8][9]. Competitive Landscape - The autonomous last-mile delivery market is becoming increasingly competitive, with major players like Amazon and Alphabet entering the space. These larger companies have significant financial resources that allow for longer R&D cycles, putting smaller companies like SERV at a disadvantage [11][12]. - SERV faces challenges in navigating regulatory issues and improving its technological expertise compared to its larger competitors [13]. Valuation Concerns - SERV's stock is currently trading at a premium, indicated by a Value Score of F, despite the recent drop in share price. The company has a high forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/S) ratio compared to the industry [14]. Technical Indicators - Technical indicators for SERV suggest a bearish trend, as the stock is trading below both the 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which are key levels for assessing short-term momentum [17][18]. Conclusion - Given the macroeconomic challenges, competitive pressures, customer concentration risks, and disappointing financial results, the outlook for SERV appears negative, leading to a recommendation for investors to avoid the stock [19][20].

Group 1 - Cognizant has been recognized on Fortune's list of "America's Most Innovative Companies 2025" for the third consecutive year, highlighting its commitment to product and process innovation as well as fostering an innovative culture [1][2][3] - The evaluation for the award was based on product innovation, process innovation, and innovation culture, utilizing online surveys and external assessments from industry experts [2] - Cognizant's President, Surya Gummadi, emphasized the company's focus on becoming an employer of choice, optimizing operations, and driving grassroots innovation, which positions the company to lead in the AI era [3] Group 2 - Cognizant is dedicated to engineering modern businesses by helping clients modernize technology, reimagine processes, and transform experiences to stay competitive in a rapidly changing environment [4]

Core Insights - IT operations have evolved from traditional technical support to a strategic business driver for enterprises in the context of digital transformation [1] - Professional IT operations services create value by ensuring business stability, reducing IT operational risks, and enhancing core competitiveness [2] Group 1: Value of IT Operations - Business-oriented operational thinking is essential for effective IT operations, enabling teams to identify and resolve performance bottlenecks from a business perspective [2] - Comprehensive management of complex IT systems is required, necessitating diverse hardware management, system performance monitoring, emergency response, and optimization capabilities [2] - Professional IT operations services provide multi-dimensional value, including stability, availability, security, cost optimization, and competitive advantage [2] Group 2: Benefits of Choosing Professional IT Service Providers - Companies can focus on core business development by outsourcing IT services to specialized teams, thereby reducing IT investment and learning costs [3] - Continuous optimization of IT services is a key benefit of partnering with professional IT operations service providers [3] Group 3: Service Offerings - The company offers a range of services including equipment maintenance, standard network support, and professional network management [4] - Additional services include digital platform management, IT training, and procurement assistance [5]

Core Insights - Cognizant is hosting an Investor Day to discuss its strategic priorities and long-term growth strategy, featuring insights from clients and demonstrations of AI-enabled platforms [1] - CEO Ravi Kumar S. emphasized Cognizant's readiness to lead in AI-driven technology transformation, highlighting significant progress in growth, employee satisfaction, and operational simplification [2] - The Board approved a $2 billion increase to the share repurchase authorization, raising the expected total for 2025 to $1.1 billion, an increase of $500 million from previous expectations [3][6] Strategic Focus - The company aims to amplify talent through upskilling initiatives and expanding learning infrastructure [7] - Cognizant plans to scale innovation by developing platforms and solutions tailored for the AI era [7] - The strategy includes accelerating growth by focusing on AI and generative AI, expanding in priority industries and geographies, and enhancing capabilities in high-growth areas [7] Market Opportunities - Cognizant identifies significant market opportunities across three vectors of AI transformation: enabling hyper-productivity, industrializing AI, and agentifying the enterprise [7] - The company is making investments in technology, domain expertise, partnerships, talent, and operational modernization to position itself for long-term growth [7] Financial Strategy - Cognizant reiterates its long-term capital allocation framework, which includes the flexibility to pursue strategic acquisitions [3] - The company believes that improved revenue performance, margin enhancements, and a balanced capital allocation framework will drive shareholder value [7]

Core Insights - Cognizant is advancing its AI solutions in collaboration with NVIDIA, focusing on five key growth areas: enterprise AI agents, industry-specific large language models (LLMs), digital twins for smart manufacturing, foundational AI infrastructure, and integration capabilities through Cognizant's Neuro® AI platform [1][2][3] Group 1: AI Solutions and Offerings - Cognizant aims to help global clients efficiently scale AI value by leveraging its extensive industry experience and a comprehensive AI ecosystem, which includes infrastructure, data, models, and agent development [2][3] - The Cognizant Neuro AI platform will facilitate the integration of foundational AI elements and solutions, enabling businesses to transition from proofs of concept to larger-scale enterprise AI implementations [3][4] Group 2: Specific AI Applications - The company is developing enterprise AI agentification through the Cognizant® Neuro AI Multi-Agent Accelerator, allowing clients to build and scale multi-agent AI systems for adaptive operations and personalized customer experiences [3][4] - Cognizant is creating industry-oriented LLMs powered by NVIDIA technologies, which are tailored to meet the unique needs of various industries, such as healthcare, where a fine-tuned language model has shown to reduce effort by 30-75% and improve coding accuracy by 30-40% [3][4] Group 3: Digital Twins and Manufacturing - Cognizant's digital twin offerings, enhanced by NVIDIA Omniverse™, aim to drive digital transformation in manufacturing by providing real-time insights and predictive analytics to improve operational efficiency [4] - The integration of diverse data sources with synthetic data will allow clients to simulate various scenarios and optimize plant operations [4] Group 4: AI Infrastructure - Cognizant's AI infrastructure, accelerated by NVIDIA, will provide clients with access to "GPU as a Service" and secure managed infrastructure, improving cost efficiency and performance in AI implementations [4] - An example implementation for a large healthcare client demonstrated a 2.7x cost efficiency improvement and a 1.8x enhancement in Spark workload performance [4] Group 5: Market Position and Future Outlook - The partnership between Cognizant and NVIDIA is positioned to support enterprises in accelerating the value of their AI investments, focusing on economic impact and industry-specific deployments [4]

Core Viewpoint - Goldman Sachs analyst James Schneider maintains a Buy rating on Accenture plc, while lowering the price forecast to $415 from $430 [1] Financial Performance - Accenture reported second-quarter 2025 earnings of $2.82 per share, slightly above the consensus estimate of $2.81 [1] - The company achieved sales of $16.66 billion, nearly in line with the consensus of $16.62 billion and management guidance of $16.2 billion to $16.8 billion [1] Industry Context - Schneider notes that Accenture's results are slightly negative for the IT Services sector, indicating rising uncertainty in the discretionary environment, although the underlying business shows gradual improvement [2] - The cautious comments from management regarding the current demand environment reflect increased uncertainty due to recent macroeconomic events [3] Management Insights - Management has indicated that increased use of subcontractors is the primary reason for near-term margin pressure, despite a strong internal utilization rate of 91% [5] - The start of several significant new outsourcing contracts during the quarter may also contribute to additional margin pressure [5] Future Outlook - Despite current concerns, the increased revenue guidance is viewed as a significant positive development for Accenture [4] - The analyst believes that Accenture is well-positioned to benefit from strong secular tailwinds once cyclical challenges subside, making the current stock price an attractive entry point for investors [4]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue for the quarter was $16.7 billion, reflecting an 8.5% increase in local currency and a 5% increase in U.S. dollars [17][14] - Operating margin was 13.5%, a decrease of 20 basis points compared to the adjusted operating margin from the previous year [20][15] - Diluted earnings per share (EPS) were $2.82, representing a 2% growth over the adjusted EPS from the same quarter last year [21][15] - Free cash flow for the quarter was $2.7 billion, with a cash balance of $8.5 billion at the end of the quarter [21][22] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Consulting revenues were $8.3 billion, up 3% in U.S. dollars and 6% in local currency [17] - Managed services revenue was $8.4 billion, reflecting an 8% increase in U.S. dollars and 11% in local currency, driven by double-digit growth in technology managed services [18][17] - New bookings totaled $20.9 billion, with consulting bookings at $10.5 billion and managed services bookings at $10.4 billion [16][15] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - In the Americas, revenues grew 11% in local currency, led by banking and capital markets, industrial, health, and consumer goods retail [18] - EMEA revenues increased by 8% in local currency, driven by public service, life sciences, and consumer goods [19] - Asia Pacific revenue grew 1% in local currency, with growth in insurance and utilities, partially offset by declines in chemicals and natural resources [19] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company continues to focus on large-scale transformations for clients, with a strong emphasis on Gen AI as a catalyst for reinvention [6][23] - Significant investments were made in strategic areas, including over $250 million across six strategic acquisitions [8] - The company aims to increase its data and AI workforce to approximately 80,000 by the end of FY 2026 [8] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted an elevated level of uncertainty in the global economic and geopolitical environment, but remains confident in the fundamentals of the industry [11][12] - The company expects revenue growth in the range of 5% to 7% in local currency for the full fiscal year 2025 [39] - Operating margin is expected to expand by 10 to 20 basis points for the fiscal year [40] Other Important Information - The company has been recognized as one of the world's most ethical companies for the eighteenth consecutive year [8] - A transformative hospitality skilling program was launched in India in collaboration with Marriott International [8] Q&A Session Summary Question: Are clients hitting the pause button on new initiatives? - Management indicated that there has been no overall change in client activity, with some discussions focusing on accelerating initiatives [45][46] Question: What was the growth rate in U.S. Federal revenue? - Specific growth rates for U.S. Federal revenue were not provided, but management expressed confidence in the overall positioning of the business [47][48] Question: How is the margin outlook changing? - The decrease in gross margin was attributed to higher subcontractor costs and business optimization actions, with expectations for a slight expansion in operating margin for the year [54][55] Question: How are budgets being set in the current environment? - Management noted that there has not been a meaningful increase in budgets for services, with discretionary spending remaining constrained [64][66] Question: How is the company managing its workforce mix? - The company added over 2,000 employees in Q2 and continues to manage its supply and demand effectively, maintaining a utilization rate of 91% [92]