Infosys results Q4 2016 today: Infosys will kick-off the results season on April 15, followed by Tata Consultancy Services and Mindtree (April 18), Wipro (April 20), Cyient (April 21) and Persistent (April 23). According to a Kotak Institutional Equities report, margins will improve for most companies after Chennai floods-led decline in the December quarter, whereas about 2 per cent depreciation in the rupee will also help. “We expect March quarter results and management commentary to lend comfort on 2016-17 moderated estimates. Portfolio of clients and the ability to participate in digital(projects) will significantly influence growth of IT companies in the current fiscal,” it added.

Infosys Q4 results preview: Kotak says it ascribes add rating on Vishal Sikka led Infosys shares. Seasonal weakness will reflect in modest 1.5-2.5% sequential constant-currency (c/c) revenue growth of Tier-1 ITs. We expect a slightly soft but steady 10-11% growth for Indian IT in FY2017. We expect March quarter results and management commentary to lend comfort on Street’s expectations, which in our view are already moderated, realistic and achievable. We believe 1-2% lower growth in FY2017e is captured in the new valuation band—Indian IT stocks are down to 14-18X from 15-20X. The new valuation band implies that stocks are building 10-13% growth as against 11-15% earlier, for a period of 4-7 years. We note that there is potential for growth to pick up from current levels as Indian IT’s participation in digital increases. Check out below what kept Infosys in the news since Q3 results were announced in January:

1. Vishal Sikka to remain at Infosys helm till ’21: Vishal Sikka will be Infosys CEO till 2021. In a clear endorsement to his performance over the last 18 months, the board of directors at India’s second largest IT exporter has decided to extend his tenure, originally scripted to come to an end in 2019. The Board said this was in recognition of restoring the company’s leadership in the industry and setting the goals for the next five years which are likely to be achieved.

2. Infosys slips as promoters sell 75 lakh shares via multiple block deals: The shares of Infosys, India’s second largest IT services exporter slipped by as much as 3 per cent in early Thursday trade following the two co-founders coming under the promoter category, S Gopalakrishnan and S D Shibulal deciding to sell 75 lakh shares through multiple block deals. The stocks of the company later closed 2.76 per cent at Rs 1145.95. The 75 lakh shares representing 0.3 per cent stake in Infosys were offered in the price range of Rs 1149-1178.5 and the transaction will be carried out during the day. The Infosys scrip opened at Rs 1164 on Thursday on Bombay Stock Exchange and has slipped by as much as Rs 33.10 recording a fall of 2.8%. Gopalakrishnan sold 50 lakh shares while Shibulal and family members divested 25 lakh . The details of the buyers of these shares were not known.

Also Read: Vishal Sikka announces Infosys results Q4 2016

3. Infosys to continue with strategy of buying niche high-tech firms: India’s second largest IT services exporter, Infosys, will continue with its acquisition strategy of buying out niche high technology companies which are expected to boost its growth path in the near future. Addressing the Morgan Stanley TMT conference in San Francisco, Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka said, “We will make acquisitions, small ones, very niche, high technology, complex technologies that give us a jump in our road forward.” Infosys under Sikka has been active on the acquisition front having bought out companies such as Panaya, Skava which gives it a strong foothold in newer technology areas. On the growth prospects of Infosys in the future, Sikka said, “Our endeavour is to have consistent profitable growth – that has been our philosophy; we don’t believe in sacrificing margins in order to grow. We are on track to get to industry leading growth in next financial year. We want to be a global leader in this new kind of IT services.”

4. Infosys’ Vishal Sikka for automation, low bench strength: India’s second-largest IT services exporter, Infosys, will use higher automation within the company as it seeks to gain profitability. Delivering the keynote address on ‘Automation and future of IT services’ at the Kotak Chasing Growth Conference on Monday, Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka said automation will drive margins up while enabling companies to use fewer employees. Automation is one of Sikka’s key strategies ever since he took over as CEO. The IT major managed to free up over 1,100 people in the third quarter using these technologies. Sikka said it plans to further reduce the number of people who are being engaged in its various projects and these employees will be used to drive the innovation.

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5. Infosys names Michael Pesch CEO of consulting biz arm: Infosys has announced the appointment of Michael Pesch as CEO of Infosys Consulting Holding (formerly Infosys Lodestone) effective April 1, 2016, strengthening its focus on creating an integrated, consulting-led business. As CEO of Infosys’ consulting business arm, Pesch will be responsible for Infosys’ consulting practice in Europe, Latin America and the Asia Pacific Region and will report to Sanjay Purohit, global head of Infosys Consulting. In his role, Pesch will focus on expanding the reach of Infosys consultants and experts in digital transformation and design-led innovation, as well as increasing Infosys’ expertise in large-scale SAP programmes, a release from Infosys said. He will also serve as the regional head for the DACH countries, bringing an integrated approach to IT transformation to every client engagement in the region.