[ad_1]
Action HCL Tech: HCL Technologies on Friday joined the elite group of companies with a market capitalization of Rs 5,000 billion. The feat came after HCL Tech share price touched a new high of Rs 1,852, gaining 2 per cent on the BSE in intraday trade.
HCL Tech’s market capitalization crossed the Rs 5,000 billion mark for the first time today, touching Rs 5,020 billion in intraday trade. At 9:54 am, with a market capitalization of Rs 4.97 trillion, HCL Tech shares were trading 1.1 per cent higher at Rs 1,829.95. In comparison, the BSE Sensex was flat at 81,625.32.
The stock of the information technology (IT) company has rebounded 50 per cent from its June low of Rs 1,235 on the BSE.
Currently, a total of 10 listed companies, including two IT companies – Tata Consultancy Services (Rs 15.14 trillion) and Infosys (Rs 8.03 trillion) – have a market capitalization of over Rs 5 trillion.
HCL Technologies is a next-generation global technology company that helps companies reinvent their businesses for the digital age. HCL Technologies offers an integrated portfolio of products and services through its three business units: IT and Business Services (ITBS), Engineering and R&D Services (ERS) and Products and Platforms (P&P).
Meanwhile, the board of directors of HCL Tech is scheduled to meet on Monday, October 14, 2024 to review the company’s unaudited financial results for the quarter ending September 30, 2024 (Q2FY25).
The board will also consider paying a third interim dividend for the financial year 2024-25 (FY25).
Three months after the April-June quarter (Q1FY25) results, shares of HCL Tech rose 22 per cent, compared to a 2.1 per cent rise in the BSE Sensex.
HCL Tech would most likely outperform its peers in terms of growth. Additionally, its free cash flow (FCF) metrics have improved significantly recently and are now comparable to those of TCS and Infosys, analysts at Motilal Oswal Financial Services (MOFSL) said. They believe its current performance justifies a multiple premium for Infosys.
The brokerage firm, in a recent stock update report, said it believes HCL Tech’s go-to-market (GTM) strategy, which is a combination of IT services and commercial offerings of engineering research and development (ER&D), gives HCL Tech an edge over its peers.
The brokerage firm said it has also seen signs of improvement in the demand environment for financial services. Thus, MOFSL reiterated its ‘Buy’ rating on HCL Tech stock with a revised price target of Rs 2,000 (based on 27x EPS Sep’26E).
As HCL Tech emerges from the weakness of the last two quarters, analysts at BNP Paribas believe that the worst in terms of revenue growth is behind the company.
“Over the past year, HCL Tech’s constant currency (YoY) year-over-year (YoY) revenue growth outperformance has consistently increased relative to its larger peers. large size, aided by mega-contract wins and rapid revenue conversion. This also highlights the company’s strong execution. and the ability to win mega-deals, even in verticals where it has traditionally been weak, such as telecommunications,” BNP Paribas said.
HCL Tech has completed a remarkable journey from a primarily infrastructure management company to a well-diversified IT services company. We believe HCLT’s diversified service capabilities are still underappreciated, especially its advancements in cloud computing. HCL Tech’s revenue growth and margin guidance for FY25 is dependent on a strong performance in H2FY25. With the weakness in the first quarter being less severe than expected and the assurance of a return to growth from the second quarter, meeting the forecast for FY25 now seems achievable. An attractive dividend yield (around 4%), strong execution track record and strong digital capabilities make HCL Tech an attractive choice for recovering demand for IT services, analysts say.
“As demand recovery begins, we see HCL Tech benefiting from its strong digital technology capabilities. As a result, we reduced our weighted average cost of capital (WACC) by 50 basis points to reflect this superior execution and the company’s improved growth prospects. Our WACC assumption for HCL Tech is now similar to that of Infosys and higher than that of TCS,” the brokerage said in its sector update report with a target price of Rs 2,000 per share.
HCL Tech FY24 Annual Report
According to the company’s FY24 annual report, the current economic landscape signals favorable market opportunities across all sectors for technology companies. Amid cautious optimism, companies are focusing on strategic priorities such as modernization, cloud, engineering, FinOps, AI, GenAI, digital and sustainability, the company said in its FY24 annual report published July 22.
Even though discretionary spending has yet to rebound, overall enterprise IT spending is expected to remain healthy, the company said, while adding that large and mega deals are gaining traction as companies focus on cost optimization and supplier consolidation.
Additionally, industry analysts predict that the IT services market will grow 6.1 percent globally over the next year. Despite the potential impact of macroeconomic events on certain sectors and near-term uncertainties, the technology industry is poised for long-term growth, the company said.
First publication: October 11, 2024 | 10:38 a.m. STI