Info Edge Falls Over 2% As Q4 Billings Growth Misses Estimates

Info Edge (India) ended the March quarter with standalone billings of ₹1,057.1 crore, up 7.45% from a year earlier, but still below the roughly 11% growth the Street was expecting. The numbers point to a steady core business, but not enough to lift the overall pace meaningfully.

The reaction on Dalal Street was quick. Info Edge (India) shares slipped 3.6% to ₹995.45 around 10:39 AM as the miss on expectations weighed on sentiment.

What Actually Slowed Things Down?

Most of the business is still driven by recruitment, and that piece held up. Billings from this segment came in at ₹810.7 crore, growing 9.5% year-on-year. But the tone has clearly softened. Hiring demand, especially in Gulf markets, did not stay as strong through the quarter, and that showed up in the numbers.

Then comes 99acres, where growth was barely visible. Billings rose just 1.9% to ₹162.8 crore. The company said it made changes to how the sales team operates and tightened internal processes. Those moves may help later, but they dragged down the March quarter performance.

There were mixed signals from the smaller segments. Jeevansathi kept up its momentum, with billings climbing 20.9% to ₹38.6 crore. Shiksha moved in the opposite direction, falling 12.9% to ₹45.1 crore. The company pointed to a shift in how users search online, with artificial intelligence (AI) tools now answering queries directly instead of sending traffic to platforms.

So What Are Analysts Saying Now?

This is where opinions start to diverge. Some brokerages are not too concerned. Their view is that recruitment is still growing within a familiar range, even if the latest quarter looks softer.

Others are less comfortable. They see a pattern of gradual slowdown, especially in hiring-related billings, along with weak traction in 99acres. There are also concerns that margins could dip slightly in the near term, even if year-on-year earnings still look fine.

Another point analysts are flagging is timing. Revenue usually follows billings with a lag, so this quarter’s slower growth could show up more clearly in upcoming results.

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Can The Company Turn This Around?

For the full year, billings stood at ₹3,177.5 crore, up 10.3% year-on-year. That suggests stability, but not strong acceleration.

The company is betting on internal fixes, especially in 99acres, to improve execution going forward. It is also leaning on its strong user traffic position across platforms as a long-term advantage.

Still, there are open questions. Hiring demand is uneven, and the impact of AI on parts of the business is becoming harder to ignore.

Whether Info Edge can push growth back into a stronger range or continues to move at this pace will become clearer over the next few quarters.

Sources:

Business Standard

Moneycontrol