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Info Edge (India) Ltd>
  • CMP : 6,061.3 Chg : 7.50 (0.12%)
  • Target : 4,300.0 (2.43%)
  • Target Period : 12 Month

29 May 2023

Non-IT to drive growth in Naukri while IT to take backseat in near term…

About The Stock

Info Edge provides internet based service delivery like recruitment services (Naukri), real estate (99 acres), Jeevansathi and Shiksha.

  • Quasi play on Indian start up like Zomato, PolicyBazaar, Shoekonect, Ustra, Gramophone and job market, matrimony services & real estate market
  • Prudent capital allocation with recruitment business EBITDA margin >50%
Q4FY23 Results:

Info Edge reported steady margins in Q4FY23.

  • Revenue grew 1.6% QoQ, recruitment business grew 0.2% QoQ
  • EBITDA margin was flat sequentially at 39.1%
  • Recruitment billing grew 34.3% QoQ & 13.7% YoY
What should Investors do?

Info Edge’s share price has grown by ~3.6x over the past five years (from ~₹ 1,170 in May 2018 to ~₹ 4,198 in May 2023).

  • We maintain HOLD rating
Target Price and Valuation

We value Info Edge at ₹ 4,300 on SOTP basis.

Key Triggers for future price performance
  • Steady hiring in IT, BFSI, healthcare, education, telecom and improving billing trend to drive recruitment revenues
  • Continued pent up demand in housing as well as rental market driving 99acres revenues despite increasing home interest rates. Traction in Jeevansathi, Shiksha to further drive revenues
  • Expect revenues to grow at a CAGR of 18.3% over FY22-25E
Alternate Stock Idea:

Apart from Info Edge, in IT coverage we also like Newgen.

  • It is an established player in the market for ECM, BPM & CCM with increasing annuity revenue aiding revenue growth at 20.9% CAGR in FY23-25E
  • BUY with a target price of ₹ 660

Key Financial Summary

Particulars FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 5 year CAGR (FY18-23) FY24E FY25E 2 year CAGR (FY23-25E)
Net Sales 1,272.7 1,128.0 1,562.5 2,158.6 18.7 2,440.5 3,021.1 18.3
EBITDA 402.7 302.0 474.4 784.2 21.4 949.3 1,190.3 23.2
EBITDA margins (%) 31.6 26.8 30.4 36.3 - 38.9 39.4 -
Net Profit 329.0 298.6 450.7 705.9 31.1 836.4 1,027.4 20.6
EPS (|) 26.8 23.0 35.0 54.6 - 64.7 79.5 -
P/E 156.7 184.1 6.1 131.9 - 64.8 52.8 -
RoNW (%) 13.5 6.5 3.2 6.5 - 7.3 8.4 -
RoCE (%) 18.0 8.2 4.3 8.3 - 9.3 10.8 -
Source: Company, ICICI Direct Research

Key takeaways of recent quarter & conference call highlights

  • The company at the consolidated level reported revenue of | 564 crore, up 1.6% QoQ (23.8% YoY) while revenue including acquired business was at
    | 586 crore, up 24.2% YoY. Recruitment business (78% of the mix) reported muted growth of 0.2% QoQ to | 437.6 crore. Growth during the quarter was mainly driven by non-recruitment business with Shiksha (6% of the mix) growing 15.8% QoQ to | 32 crore while 99 acres reported revenue of | 75.5 crore, up 3.6% QoQ. Jeevansathi revenue increased after three successive quarters of decline (decline was due to change in strategy). It reported revenue growth of 5% QoQ to | 18.8 crore

 

  • The company’s billings during the quarter increased 35.9% QoQ & 15.3% YoY to | 748.6 crore. Billings in recruitment business grew 34.3% QoQ & 13.7% YoY to | 583.5 crore while in billings in 99acres, Jeevansathi & Shiksha grew 45.9%, 19.9% & 46.6% QoQ to | 103.7 crore, | 20.5 crore &
    | 40.9 crore, respectively

 

  • Consolidated EBITDA margin remained flat at 39.1% sequentially despite muted revenue growth, mainly due to a decline in marketing & advertising spends. In absolute terms, EBITDA came in at | 220.3 crore, up 1.6% QoQ. Marketing spends during the quarter declined 5.8% QoQ & 27.3% YoY to
    | 70.3 crore due to reduced marketing spends in 99acres & Jeevansathi business. Segment wise, in the recruitment business the EBITDA margin declined 120 bps QoQ to 60.3% while absolute EBITDA came in at | 264 crore, down 1.7% QoQ. Shiksha reported an EBITDA of | 2.3 crore while 99acres and Jeevansathi reported EBITDA losses of | 22.1 crore and | 21.9 crore, respectively. Both businesses 99acres & Jeevansathi continued to reduce their EBITDA losses

 

  • The company during the quarter impaired amount of | 12 crore as ICD given to 4B Networks as exceptional items. Info Edge in Q3 had already impaired | 276 crore investment in 4B Networks as the company was facing liquidity issues due to excessive cash burn. PAT came in at | 178.9 crore during the quarter. Excluding exceptional items, adjusted PAT came in at
    | 197.7 crore

 

  • The company reported deferred revenue of | 1,018.6 crore, up 21.9% QoQ & 24.3% YoY. The company mentioned that recruitment business, 99 acres & Others reported deferred revenue of | 847.7 crore, | 122.7 crore & | 48.2 crore, respectively

 

  • For FY23, the company at the consolidated level reported revenue of
    | 2,158.6 crore, up 38.2% with consolidated EBITDA margin of 36.3%, up 590 bps. Info Edge reported an EBITDA of | 784.2 crore, up 65.3% while reported PAT came in at | 411.2 crore. The company in recruitment business for FY23 reported revenue of | 1,679.6 crore, up 45.5% while EBITDA in the recruitment business came in at | 1,006 crore with a corresponding EBITDA margin of 59.9%, up 300 bps

 

  • Recruitment business: The company mentioned that in the recruitment business it is witnessing cautious hirings by IT sector. This is impacting its recruitment business as it contributes ~50% of the revenue mix (direct & consultant led hiring). The company also mentioned that it expects IT hiring to be muted for a couple of quarters. Info Edge also mentioned that GCC hirings remain steady. It expects the same to continue. The company mentioned there is a possibility of some global roles (where layoffs are happening) to be outsourced to India. Hence, there could be some recovery in IT in H2

 

 

  • The company however indicated that the non-IT hiring remains buoyant and it compensating for the decline in IT hiring. Info Edge mentioned that it is witnessing robust demand in infrastructure, BFSI, travel & tourism & auto ancillary sectors. The company mentioned that till IT sector demand comes back it will focus on growing the non-IT business. The company also mentioned that pricing & volume growth in non-IT business is driving the growth of the recruitment business. The company indicated that if the Indian economy continues to grow at 6-7% then billing in recruitment business can grow in the range of 25-30%

 

  • On the margins front, in the recruitment business the company mentioned that if billings continue to grow by 14-15% then it will be able to sustain the margins at the current level but if the billings drop to single digit, then the margins of recruitment business will be impacted as it does not want to slow down on its investment in other business like zwayam, iimjobs, doselect, etc, which it plans to grow

 

  • The company also indicated that since the non-IT business is growing strong it will focus on growing its business in tier II/III cities where it is witnessing more demand for jobs. Info Edge mentioned that it is currently servicing in 45 cities and planning to expand its reach to 100 cities especially in tier II cities in the medium term

 

  • On 99acres business: The company mentioned that it has witnessed broad based growth in segments of resale, rental, commercial & new homes. Info Edge mentioned that demand in certain pockets remains high. The company also mentioned that traffic remains strong and it is witnessing traction in new home sales. Info Edge also mentioned that prices have stabilised but inventory is at the lowest level in the decade. The company mentioned that it expects new launches in both residential & commercial projects and indicated that new home sales will drive the growth in the real estate segment. Info Edge also mentioned that the competitive intensity remains high in this segment. Hence, the EBITDA loss narrowing trajectory would be gradual

 

  • On Jeevansathi business: The company mentioned that the free chat model has increased the traffic and user engagement on its platform. Info Edge mentioned that it has gained increased traffic in north & west India. The company also mentioned that due to the free chat model it was able to reduce its marketing spends, which have aided in reducing the EBITDA loss. The company also mentioned that it launched a few paid products in December, which aided in revenue growth in Q4. Info Edge also mentioned that it is exploring opportunities to monetise the increase in traffic in the Jeevansathi business

 

  • The company mentioned that it has invested 76% in aisle, a dating platform and it will double its investment there if it witnesses healthy traction in traffic

 

  • In Shiksha business: The company added that Shiksha business witnessed traction due to rebound in domestic business and it expects the growth momentum to continue. Info Edge also mentioned that the studies abroad business is gaining traction and it plans to send 2k+ students abroad for education this year. The company mentioned that international business is still is small part of its education business but it could grow to a meaningful number in the medium term

 

  • The company declared a final dividend of | 9 per share and has fixed July 28, as record date for determining the eligible shareholders for payment of dividend. The company for FY23 declared a total dividend of | 19 per share as dividend payout of ~60%. The company added that the dividend payout is as per its policy and it has not paid higher dividend or opted for buyback of shares as it wants to continue investing in the business for growth opportunities

Disclaimer

RATING RATIONALE

ICICI Direct endeavours to provide objective opinions and recommendations. ICICI Direct assigns ratings to its stocks according to their notional target price vs. current market price and then categorizes them as Buy, Hold, Reduce and Sell. The performance horizon is two years unless specified and the notional target price is defined as the analysts valuation for a stock

Buy: >15%

Hold: -5% to 15%;

Reduce: -15% to -5%;

Sell: <-15% 

Pankaj Pandey

Head – Research

pankaj.pandey@icicisecurities.com

 

 

ICICI Direct Research Desk,

ICICI Securities Limited,

Third Floor, Brillanto House,

Road No 13, MIDC,

Andheri (East)

Mumbai – 400 093

 

 

research@icicidirect.com

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