MUMBAI: Tata Consultancy Services, the largest software exporter from the country, has logged in a 5 percent growth in net income at Rs 11,909 crore, earning an 18.5 percent profit margin from a Rs 64,259-crore revenue that has clipped at 7.6 percent on-year in the September quarter.
Following the passing of Ratan Naval Tata late last night due to age-related ailments, the emeritus chairman of the Tata Group and Tata Sons, TCS has cancelled its planned post-earnings press conference to mourn the loss of its former chairman, under whose leadership the company became the largest software exporter and a major cash cow for the group. Tata will be laid to rest with full state honours later this evening.
Despite the better-than-expected results, TCS shares declined by 50 basis points to ₹4,228.40 on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) at the close of trading, after reaching a high of ₹4,293.30 during the day. The earnings were announced after market hours.
CEO K. Krithivasan attributed the unexpected growth to a surge in the energy, resources, and utilities sectors, which reported over 7% growth, as well as a 5.3% increase in the manufacturing sector.
He noted that all growth markets outperformed the company average, with India showing remarkable growth of 95.2%. Other regions contributing to the growth included the Middle East and Africa (7.9%), Asia Pacific (7.5%), and Latin America (6.8%).
The quarter also saw TCS netting an operating margin of 24.1%, which contributed to a net margin of 18.5%. The net cash from operations reached ₹11,932 crore, equivalent to 100.2% of the net income.
In a contrasting industry trend where many competitors have been reluctant to honour previous job offers, TCS added over 11,000 employees, raising its total headcount to 612,724 from 150 nationalities. This resulted in a net addition of 5,726 employees, with attrition contained at 12.3%. Notably, women comprise 35.5% of the workforce.
The company has declared a dividend of ₹10 per share, with the record date set for 18 October.
Krithivasan stated, "We saw the cautious trends of the past few quarters continue to play out in this quarter as well. Amidst an uncertain geopolitical situation, our biggest vertical of BFSI showed signs of recovery. We also saw a strong performance in our growth markets," adding that the company remains focused on sharpening its value proposition for clients, employees, and other stakeholders.
Samir Seksaria, the Chief Financial Officer, attributed the strong numbers to strategic investments in talent and infrastructure, as well as disciplined execution, leading to superior cash conversion. "Our longer-term cost structures remain unchanged, and we remain confident in our ability to continue delivering industry-leading profitable growth," he said.
Milind Lakkad, the HR head, noted that the company welcomed 11,000 associates in the first half of the year and is on track for trainee onboarding as planned. "We have also commenced the campus hiring process for FY26. Our strong talent base and increased learning intensity prepare us well for the complex technology transformations that customers entrust us with."
Although the revenue share from the BFSI segment decreased to 30.8% from 32.6%, the consumer business share also fell slightly from 15.9% to 15.1%. Life sciences and healthcare dropped from 10.9% to 10.4%, while manufacturing remained flat at 8.6%. Technology and services decreased from 8.6% to 8%, and communication and media lost 100 basis points, down to 6.9%. Energy, resources, and utilities fell from 5.7% to 5.6%, whereas regional markets and others saw a nearly 50% increase, growing from 10.9% to 15.5%, contributing to a total growth of 5.5%.
From a geographical perspective, North America's share of revenue declined from 51.7% to 47.6%, Latin America's share dropped from 2% to 1.8%, while the UK’s contribution increased by 50 basis points to 17%.
Continental Europe fell to 14.6% from 14.9%, and Asia Pacific rose by 20 basis points to 8%. India's share nearly doubled, increasing from 4.9% to 8.9%, while the MENA region saw a decrease to 2.1%, down by 10 basis points.
Krithivasan concluded, "While discretionary spending was impacted, clients continued to invest and see improved outcomes using AI/GenAI. We are setting up interdisciplinary AI offices/CoEs to strategise, prioritise, and implement AI at scale." He highlighted that cyber security, AI cloud, and TCS Interactive led growth this quarter.