Info Edge Q2 Results: Net profit plunges 93% YoY to Rs 334 crore, revenue rises 13%; co declares Rs 3/shar
Info Edge reported a sharp year-on-year decline in Q2 net profit due to a large exceptional gain in the previous year, while revenue and operating profit grew. Recruitment, 99acres and matchmaking businesses recorded healthy growth, alongside AI-led expansion.
Info Edge (India), the parent company of Naukri.com, on Wednesday reported a 92.9% year-on-year decline in net profit to Rs 333.8 crore for the September quarter, compared with Rs 4,720 crore in the corresponding period last year, as the previous year’s results included an exceptional gain of Rs 5,200 crore.Revenue for the quarter rose 12.9% year-on-year to Rs 842 crore from Rs 746 crore. The company reported no exceptional gain during the quarter, compared with the substantial gain recorded a year earlier.Operating performance remained strong, with earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increasing 27.4% year-on-year to Rs 377 crore from Rs 295.9 crore.
The EBITDA margin expanded to 44.8% from 39.66% in the year-ago period.The company’s board declared an interim dividend of Rs 3 per share, on a face value of Rs 2 per share, for the financial year 2026-27. The record date has been fixed for November 6, 2026.Recruitment business drives growthLive EventsRecruitment, Info Edge’s largest business, reported a 12.6% year-on-year increase in standalone billings in the second quarter, while billings grew 14.9% in the first half of FY27.
The company said quarterly growth was affected by the timing of customer renewals.Recruitment revenue increased 13.3% year-on-year, while operating profit before tax (PBT) rose 19.9%, with the business reporting an operating PBT margin of 59.1% in Q2.Including acquired businesses, the recruitment segment generated billings of Rs 662 crore and revenue of Rs 682 crore during the quarter, with an operating PBT margin of 54%.
The standalone recruitment business, excluding Job Hai, continued to maintain a high-margin profile, reporting a margin of 62%.Artificial intelligence-led products are emerging as an additional growth driver for the business. AI and data products now account for a high single-digit share of the recruitment topline, translating into an annualised revenue run rate of around Rs 240 crore based on Q2 performance.The candidate services business, which caters directly to job seekers, reported a 37% increase in billings during the quarter.
Paid conversion improved to 2.7%, while the online mix increased to 59%. The business reported a PBT margin of 64%, supported by its self-service offerings.NaukriGulf recorded 9% year-on-year growth in Q2 and remained highly profitable.Across sectors, first-half growth was led by global capability centres (GCCs), which grew 19%, followed by other sectors at 16%. Technology, IT and business process management (BPM) grew 9%, while recruitment consultants recorded 5% growth.99acres, matchmaking businesses sustain momentumInfo Edge’s real estate platform, 99acres, reported a 21.2% year-on-year increase in billings in Q2, accelerating from 16.5% in the June quarter.The business also generated Rs 22.1 crore in cash from operations during the quarter, compared with Rs 2.3 crore in the corresponding period last year, reflecting a significant improvement in operating cash generation.In matchmaking, the combined billings of Jeevansathi and Aisle grew 23.1% year-on-year in Q2 and 21.7% in the first half of FY27.Jeevansathi reported 18.4% growth in quarterly billings, while Aisle recorded a stronger increase of 40%.Management flags AI-led growth and profitabilityCommenting on the results, Hitesh Oberoi, managing director and chief executive officer of Info Edge, said recruitment billings grew 15% in the first half of FY27.“AI and data products for recruiters and job seekers are now contributing meaningfully, at a high single-digit share of Recruitment topline and an annualised run rate of around Rs 240 crore based on Q2,” Oberoi said.He added that 99acres had extended its market leadership, with billings growth accelerating to 21%, while the matchmaking business continued to deliver healthy growth.Chief financial officer Himanshu Agarwal said standalone billings grew 13.5% in the first half, while operating profits increased 29.8% during the quarter.Cash generated from operations rose 27.4% in Q2, Agarwal said, highlighting the strength of the company’s cash-generative business model.Board approves divestments, Rs 150-crore investmentSeparately, the company’s board approved proposals to divest its entire 14.18% holding in Medcords Healthcare Solutions and its 31.64% holding in Unnati Online, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Startup Investments (Holding) Ltd.Info Edge had previously provided for full impairment of its investment in Medcords in FY24 and Unnati Online in FY20.
Following the proposed divestments, Medcords will cease to be a joint venture of the company, while Unnati Online will cease to be an associate.The board also approved an investment of around Rs 150 crore in Redstart Labs (India), a wholly owned subsidiary of Info Edge.Info Edge share price Info Edge shares rose as much as 4% to an intraday high of Rs 1,265 apiece on the NSE on Wednesday, against the previous close of Rs 1,216.30.At the last check, the stock was trading 2.91% higher at Rs 1,253.50.
Despite the session’s gains, the stock remained down nearly 7% so far in 2026, according to NSE data.Disclosure: This article has been written by Kumar Gaurav, who is not a Sebi-registered Research Analyst or an Investment Adviser. Gaurav and their ‘relative(s)’ (as defined under Section 2(77) of the Companies Act, 2013) do not hold any financial interest in the companies mentioned in this article as of the date of publication.
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