Infosys bets on new services to push sales to $20 bn by 2020

Infosys has been making bets on automation and other high-margin services like artificial intelligence to regain some ground

Infosys Ltd, India's second-largest software services exporter, on Friday posted quarterly net profit that lagged most analyst expectations, dampening hopes of a quick turnaround after top management changes.

Bengaluru-based Infosys, once seen as the bellwether of India's $150 billion IT services industry, has in recent years struggled to innovate and retain market share due to a staff exodus that also impacted its ability to win lucrative deals.

Infosys, however, said it was on track to revive growth and expected its revenue to rise to $20 billion by 2020 up from $8.7 billion now, as it focuses on acquisitions and wins more new technology services.

Under chief executive Vishal Sikka, brought in last year to chart a new strategy, Infosys has been making bets on automation and other high-margin services like artificial intelligence to regain some ground lost to rivals including sector leader Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.

"It's a long-drawn initiative ... it's not going to come in immediately, said Sarabjit Kour Nangra, vice president of IT research at Angel Broking. "Infosys (stock) has to be bought for the long-term and not for the next one or two years."

Infosys, which provides IT services to clients like Apple Inc, Volkswagen AG and Wal-Mart Stores Inc, said fourth-quarter net profit rose to Rs 3,097 crore (Rs 30.97 billion), from Rs 2,992 crore (Rs 29.92 billion) a year earlier.

Analysts, on average, were expecting it to make Rs 3,186 crore (Rs 31.86 billion), according to Thomson Reuters data.

For the year ending March 2016, Infosys expects its dollar revenue, two-thirds of which comes from clients in the United States and Europe, to post growth of 10 per cent to 12 per cent, up from 7.1 per cent growth in the last fiscal year.

Infosys shares in India ended nearly 6 per cent lower after the earnings release, and the US shares were trading down 7.4 per cent at 1537 GMT.

Pricing for Infosys' services continues to be under pressure due to rising "commoditisation in the traditional outsourcing business", Chief Operating Officer U.B. Pravin Rao said.

The outsourcing services provider is, therefore, looking to ramp up its productivity through automation and is looking for acquisitions to boost growth. Infosys' cash and cash equivalents were at $5.2 billion at the end of March.

"The traditional model of IT services is dying but yet businesses continue to look for partners who can help them grow and innovate," Sikka said. "We see an increasing role that automation and innovation will play in our existing portfolio."

In a step towards that, Infosys said it had agreed to buy Kallidus Inc and an affiliate, which provide digital services such as mobile commerce for retail clients, for $120 million.