7 January 2014
Update | Sector: Technology
Infosys
BSE Sensex
26,987
S&P CNX
8,127
CMP: INR1,957
TP: INR2,500
Upside:27%
Buy
Stock Info
Bloomberg
Equity Shares (m)
52-Week Range (INR)
1, 6, 12 Rel. Per (%)
M.Cap. (INR b)
M.Cap. (USD b)
Will payout do justice to the cash, finally?
INFO IN
1,142.8
2,201/1,447
0/12/-18
2,236.7
35.5
High payout and multiple acquisitions can co-exist
Financial Snapshot (INR Billion)
Y/E Mar
2015E 2016E 2017E
Sales
EBITDA
PAT
EPS (INR)
EPS Gr. (%)
BV/Sh. (INR)
RoE (%)
RoCE (%)
Payout (%)
Valuations
P/E (x)
P/BV (x)
EV/EBITDA (x)
Div Yield (%)
18.1
4.0
12.3
1.5
15.9
3.4
10.4
1.9
14.0
3.0
8.8
2.0
540.5 609.8 694.8
151.4 171.7 195.6
123.6 140.4 159.5
108.2 122.8 139.6
16.1
490
25.9
27.1
26.8
13.5
569
25.0
26.4
30.5
13.6
661
24.4
25.9
28.7
INFO has cited on multiple platforms recently that it is considering allocating
capital between organic growth, acquisitions, dividend, and share buyback.
INFO’s average payout over last 10 years has been ~34% (including special
dividends). Had it been 60%, its FY14 RoE would have been ~9pp higher at 33%.
~36% of employed capital earns post-tax return of 50%+ on equity (operational
RoE), and the remaining is in the form of cash. We don’t see a justification for
such significant remnant majority (64%) yielding low single digit returns.
INFO’s cash balance is USD5.4b, which is higher than the cumulative 10-year cash
outflow on acquisitions by Accenture (ACN), TCS, Wipro (WPRO) and Cognizant
(CTSH). Acquisitions intent is not deterrent to a significantly higher payout either.
Why discuss now, again?
Over the last many years, INFO’s payout of excess cash is an event that has
eluded investors. We bring this discussion up once again, especially after
commentary from senior management in the last couple of months. Excerpts
from CFO’s comments: “We
have never really articulated our capital allocation
plan in the past so many years. We understand that we have not done a good
job of it. We would look at how to allocate capital between organic, inorganic,
dividend and share buyback.”
Limited justification for single digit returns on 64% of Balance Sheet
Shareholding pattern (%)
As on
Sep-14 Jun-14 Sep-13
Promoter
15.9
15.9
15.9
DII
14.5
14.1
16.2
FII
57.7
57.7
55.1
Others
11.9
12.2
12.8
Note: FII Includes depository receipts
Had INFO’s average payout over last 10 years been 60% (v/s 34%), FY14 RoE
would have been 9pp higher at 33%, earnings would have been only 7%
lower and INFO would still be sitting on ~USD2.6b worth of cash.
Its operating RoE in FY14 was 54%, but 64% of capital employed is cash.
That means only ~36% of INFO’s current employed capital earns post-tax
return of 50%+. We don’t see a justification for such significant remnant
majority (64%) of the employed capital returning merely single digit RoEs.
Acquisitions’ intent is not deterrent to improved payout
Cumulative investments in acquisitions over last 10 years across ACN, TCS, CTSH
and WPRO vary between ~USD1.0-3.5b. Against that, INFO has a cash balance
of USD5.4b and it added cash profit (PAT + Depreciation) of ~USD2b in FY14.
Add to that Dr. Sikka’s intention of buying smaller innovative companies, we
remain convinced and acquisition intent should in no way deter better payout.
Stock Performance (1-year)
2,800
2,400
2,000
1,600
1,200
Infosys
Sensex - Rebased
Valuation and view
While the magnitude of transformation on which INFO has embarked is likely to
take time, we believe the focus on ‘renew and new’ is the right approach and
will equip the company with the capabilities for sustained profitable growth.
We expect gradual convergence in the valuation gap vis-a-vis TCS. Our target
price of INR2,500 discounts FY17E EPS by 18x. Maintain
Buy.
We see improved
capital allocation as one of the triggers to valuation gap convergence.
Ashish Chopra
(Ashish.Chopra@MotilalOswal.com); +91 22 3982 5424
Siddharth Vora
(Siddharth.Vora@MotilalOswal.com); +91 22 3982 5585
Investors are advised to refer through disclosures made at the end of the Research Report.