Persistent Systems Ltd
Persistent Systems Ltd
Information Technology F&OPersistent Systems provides software engineering and strategy services to help companies implement and modernize their businesses. It has its own software and frameworks with pre-built integration and acceleration [1]. It also has partnership with providers such as Salesforce and AWS [2].
Persistent Systems demonstrates exceptional growth with 35.9% profit CAGR over 5 years and 25% ROE consistency, but the stock's 21% decline over the past year and elevated valuation at 40.8x PE with 9.72x price-to-book suggest the market is repricing risk. With 58.8% analyst buy ratings but 29.4% sell ratings, conviction is split.
Key Fundamentals
MidcapComputer Software & ConsultingInformation TechnologyTechnical Indicators
Key Insights
Strengths
5- Company is almost debt free.
- Company has delivered good profit growth of 35.9% CAGR over last 5 years
- Company has a good return on equity (ROE) track record: 3 Years ROE 25.4%
- Company has been maintaining a healthy dividend payout of 36.5%
- Company's median sales growth is 19.6% of last 10 years
Weaknesses
2- Stock is trading at 9.92 times its book value
- Working capital days have increased from 47.9 days to 73.1 days
Growth Rate
AI Analysis — Bull vs Bear
Persistent Systems demonstrates exceptional growth with 35.9% profit CAGR over 5 years and 25% ROE consistency, but the stock's 21% decline over the past year and elevated valuation at 40.8x PE with 9.72x price-to-book suggest the market is repricing risk. With 58.8% analyst buy ratings but 29.4% sell ratings, conviction is split.
- Compounded profit growth of 42% TTM significantly outpaces revenue growth of 24% TTM, indicating strong operating leverage and margin expansion
- Consistent ROE of 25-27% over 3-5 years demonstrates superior capital efficiency rare among Indian IT midcaps
- Company is almost debt free, providing financial flexibility for acquisitions and investments without balance sheet stress
- Revenue CAGR of 29% over 5 years and 20% over 10 years shows sustained demand for its digital engineering services
- Healthy dividend payout ratio of 36.5% rewards shareholders while retaining enough capital for growth
- Compounded profit growth of 36% over 5 years far exceeds the IT sector median, justifying premium valuation partially
- Median sales growth of 19.6% over 10 years provides a long track record of consistent execution
- 58.82% of 34 analyst ratings are Buy recommendations, reflecting majority institutional confidence
- Stock has declined 21% over the past 1 year, underperforming broader markets and indicating potential de-rating cycle
- PE ratio of 40.8x is expensive even for a high-growth IT company, leaving limited margin of safety
- Price-to-book of 9.72x is significantly elevated, pricing in years of future growth already
- Working capital days have deteriorated from 47.9 to 73.1 days, a 52.6% increase signaling potential collection challenges
- 29.41% of analysts rate the stock as Sell — 10 out of 34 ratings — indicating meaningful institutional skepticism
- Dividend yield of just 0.46% offers negligible income support during periods of capital depreciation
- Market cap of Rs 77,329 crore requires sustained 25%+ growth for years to justify current multiples, raising execution risk
- 10-year stock CAGR of 30% may attract mean-reversion as growth normalizes from the 42% TTM profit surge
This is AI-generated analysis, not financial advice. Do your own due diligence.
AI News Digest
- Analyst earnings cuts 4-5% Jun 10
Motilal Oswal reduced earnings estimates by 4-5% citing soft March quarter exit and continued AI reinvestments, expecting gradual margin expansion to only 16.7-16.8% over FY27-28E.
- AI disruption to revenue model Jun 10
Analysts caution that AI-driven solutions will reduce development life cycles, potentially compressing traditional revenue streams as clients incorporate AI technologies into workflows.
- Stock down 13% YTD, volatile Jun 01
Shares fell 6.77% on Jun 3 amid broader IT weakness after OpenAI enterprise concerns; stock is down 13% YTD and 15% over six months from 52-week high of ₹6,599 hit Dec 23, 2025.
- Margin pressured by AI investments Jun 10
CFO Vinit Teredesai stated growth is the priority over margins, with EBIT margin expected to stay in a tight range as the company continues investing in AI capabilities.
- Estonia expansion at 0.48x P/S Jun 01
Acquired part of Concise Systems for EUR 5.6M, adding 90+ engineers in Tallinn and Tartu with EUR 11.6M annual revenue — highly accretive at 0.48x price-to-sales multiple.
- $2B annualized revenue target FY27 Jun 10
Company targets $500M quarterly revenue by March 2027 (annualized $2B), requiring average 3.5% quarterly growth from $436M reported in Q4FY26.
- Strong Q4FY26: revenue +25% YoY Jun 01
Q4FY26 revenue grew 25% YoY to ₹4,056 crore, EBITDA up 31% to ₹768 crore, net profit surged 34% to ₹529 crore with EPS of ₹33.83.
- Kong partnership for AI governance May 25
Strategic partnership with Kong as global systems integration partner targeting 300+ enterprise accounts, combining Kong's AI Gateway with Persistent's GenAI Hub for production-scale AI deployment.
- Databricks AI talent pipeline built Jun 04
Collaborated with Databricks and MSOE on AI engineering initiative leveraging 1,300+ Databricks experts and 950+ certifications, targeting 20-25% incremental revenue from GenAI-led deals.
- Stock rallied 8% in three weeks Jun 10
Shares gained 8% over three weeks on AI growth optimism and weaker rupee supporting realisations, reducing post-Q4 results decline to 6%.
- Mexico ops decade, nearshore strength Jun 17
Celebrated 10 years of Mexico operations strengthening nearshore capabilities for AI and cloud modernization across the Americas.
- CII disability inclusion award Jun 19
Won CII Award for Excellence in Disability Inclusion 2026 for Best Employer – Physical Accessibility, recognizing accessibility framework across workplaces and digital platforms.
- San Francisco Unicorns cricket deal Jun 15
Partnered with San Francisco Unicorns as Official Re(AI)maging Partner for 2026 Major League Cricket season, featuring on-field branding and client hospitality experiences.
- ESOP Trust buying 40,000 shares Jun 15
Persistent ESOP Trust will purchase up to 40,000 equity shares by June 30, 2026 to meet vesting commitments under employee stock option schemes.
- Board approves director reappointments Jun 08
Board approved reappointing four Independent Directors for second terms and internal restructuring including a merger and share transfer, requiring approval at 36th AGM in July 2026.
- Kong partnership for API security May 26
Partnered with Kong to provide unified control layer for APIs, data and AI services to simplify integration and strengthen governance for enterprises moving AI to production.
- Investor meeting with Aikya Jun 02
Held one-on-one session with Aikya Investment Management on June 2, 2026, reiterating Q4FY26 earnings details without sharing any new material information.
TL;DR: Persistent Systems is executing well on AI-led growth with strong Q4FY26 financials (revenue +25% YoY, profit +34%) and a clear path to $2B annualized revenue by March 2027. The Estonia acquisition and Kong/Databricks partnerships reinforce its AI engineering positioning at attractive economics. Key risks are near-term margin compression from AI reinvestments, analyst earnings downgrades of 4-5%, and the structural threat of AI reducing traditional development cycles. The trend is improving on revenue momentum but margin expansion will lag, making execution on the $500M quarterly target the critical near-term catalyst.
Quarterly Results
| Mar 2023 | Jun 2023 | Sep 2023 | Dec 2023 | Mar 2024 | Jun 2024 | Sep 2024 | Dec 2024 | Mar 2025 | Jun 2025 | Sep 2025 | Dec 2025 | Mar 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 2,254 | 2,321 | 2,412 | 2,498 | 2,591 | 2,737 | 2,897 | 3,062 | 3,242 | 3,334 | 3,581 | 3,778 | 4,056 |
| Expenses | 1,838 | 1,947 | 2,007 | 2,056 | 2,136 | 2,282 | 2,416 | 2,524 | 2,658 | 2,722 | 2,898 | 3,045 | 3,288 |
| Operating Profit | 416 | 374 | 405 | 442 | 454 | 455 | 481 | 538 | 584 | 612 | 683 | 733 | 768 |
| OPM % | 18% | 16% | 17% | 18% | 18% | 17% | 17% | 18% | 18% | 18% | 19% | 19% | 19% |
| Other Income | 9 | 22 | 37 | 38 | 31 | 31 | 47 | 43 | 18 | 55 | 52 | -49 | 33 |
| Interest | 15 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 19 |
| Depreciation | 70 | 76 | 74 | 79 | 80 | 71 | 74 | 82 | 79 | 94 | 100 | 101 | 109 |
| PBT | 341 | 307 | 356 | 389 | 395 | 401 | 435 | 482 | 505 | 555 | 617 | 565 | 674 |
| Tax % | 26% | 25% | 26% | 26% | 20% | 24% | 25% | 23% | 22% | 23% | 24% | 22% | 21% |
| Net Profit | 252 | 229 | 263 | 286 | 315 | 306 | 325 | 373 | 396 | 425 | 471 | 439 | 529 |
| EPS in Rs | 16.45 | 14.86 | 17.11 | 18.59 | 20.47 | 19.89 | 21.02 | 24.12 | 25.59 | 27.17 | 30.15 | 27.86 | 33.55 |
Profit & Loss
| Mar 2015 | Mar 2016 | Mar 2017 | Mar 2018 | Mar 2019 | Mar 2020 | Mar 2021 | Mar 2022 | Mar 2023 | Mar 2024 | Mar 2025 | Mar 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 1,891 | 2,312 | 2,878 | 3,034 | 3,366 | 3,566 | 4,188 | 5,711 | 8,351 | 9,822 | 11,939 | 14,748 |
| Expenses | 1,501 | 1,921 | 2,413 | 2,565 | 2,810 | 3,073 | 3,505 | 4,753 | 6,831 | 8,146 | 9,881 | 11,953 |
| Operating Profit | 390 | 392 | 465 | 469 | 556 | 493 | 683 | 958 | 1,519 | 1,676 | 2,058 | 2,795 |
| OPM % | 21% | 17% | 16% | 15% | 17% | 14% | 16% | 17% | 18% | 17% | 17% | 19% |
| Other Income | 94 | 77 | 84 | 119 | 88 | 132 | 108 | 144 | 41 | 128 | 138 | 91 |
| Interest | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 47 | 47 | 67 | 73 |
| Depreciation | 94 | 99 | 149 | 158 | 157 | 166 | 176 | 166 | 272 | 309 | 307 | 403 |
| PBT | 390 | 370 | 401 | 429 | 486 | 452 | 609 | 924 | 1,241 | 1,448 | 1,822 | 2,411 |
| Tax % | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 28% | 25% | 26% | 25% | 26% | 24% | 23% | 23% |
| Net Profit | 291 | 277 | 301 | 323 | 352 | 340 | 451 | 690 | 921 | 1,093 | 1,400 | 1,865 |
| EPS in Rs | 18.16 | 17.33 | 18.84 | 20.19 | 21.98 | 22.26 | 29.48 | 45.15 | 60.24 | 70.98 | 90.54 | 118 |
| Div. Payout % | 41% | 23% | 24% | 25% | 25% | 27% | 34% | 34% | 41% | 37% | 39% | 34% |
Balance Sheet
| Mar 2015 | Mar 2016 | Mar 2017 | Mar 2018 | Mar 2019 | Mar 2020 | Mar 2021 | Mar 2022 | Mar 2023 | Mar 2024 | Mar 2025 | Mar 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Capital | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 79 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 |
| Reserves | 1,326 | 1,578 | 1,819 | 2,047 | 2,266 | 2,309 | 2,719 | 3,292 | 3,889 | 4,881 | 6,241 | 7,759 |
| Borrowings | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 71 | 98 | 578 | 655 | 451 | 311 | 477 |
| Other Liabilities | 365 | 459 | 433 | 514 | 509 | 635 | 771 | 1,473 | 1,999 | 1,997 | 2,092 | 3,061 |
| Total Liabilities | 1,775 | 2,120 | 2,335 | 2,644 | 2,856 | 3,092 | 3,666 | 5,419 | 6,619 | 7,405 | 8,722 | 11,377 |
| Fixed Assets | 408 | 437 | 536 | 512 | 401 | 432 | 457 | 1,534 | 2,341 | 2,221 | 2,541 | 2,883 |
| CWIP | 4 | 27 | 29 | 5 | 32 | 30 | 12 | 107 | 16 | 34 | 77 | 11 |
| Investments | 674 | 638 | 684 | 880 | 764 | 979 | 1,000 | 822 | 640 | 827 | 980 | 1,615 |
| Other Assets | 689 | 1,018 | 1,086 | 1,247 | 1,659 | 1,652 | 2,197 | 2,956 | 3,622 | 4,324 | 5,123 | 6,868 |
| Total Assets | 1,775 | 2,120 | 2,335 | 2,644 | 2,856 | 3,092 | 3,666 | 5,419 | 6,619 | 7,405 | 8,722 | 11,377 |
Cash Flow
| Mar 2015 | Mar 2016 | Mar 2017 | Mar 2018 | Mar 2019 | Mar 2020 | Mar 2021 | Mar 2022 | Mar 2023 | Mar 2024 | Mar 2025 | Mar 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating | 312 | 254 | 286 | 421 | 432 | 352 | 736 | 845 | 956 | 1,302 | 1,157 | 1,767 |
| Investing | -230 | -86 | -222 | -337 | -233 | -6 | -540 | -971 | -383 | -525 | -517 | -610 |
| Financing | -66 | -127 | -58 | -96 | -160 | -329 | -144 | 182 | -404 | -582 | -628 | -748 |
| Net Cash Flow | 16 | 41 | 6 | -12 | 39 | 16 | 52 | 56 | 169 | 196 | 12 | 409 |
| Free Cash Flow | 216 | 89 | 70 | 356 | 395 | 277 | 611 | 464 | 524 | 947 | 964 | 1,572 |
| CFO/OP | 105 | 91 | 84 | 116 | 103 | 98 | 131 | 113 | 85 | 98 | 81 | 86 |
Ratios
| Mar 2015 | Mar 2016 | Mar 2017 | Mar 2018 | Mar 2019 | Mar 2020 | Mar 2021 | Mar 2022 | Mar 2023 | Mar 2024 | Mar 2025 | Mar 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debtor Days | 69 | 67 | 60 | 58 | 53 | 61 | 50 | 61 | 69 | 62 | 56 | 53 |
| Cash Conversion Cycle | 69 | 67 | 60 | 58 | 53 | 61 | 50 | 61 | 69 | 62 | 56 | 53 |
| Working Capital Days | 29 | 40 | 49 | 53 | 43 | 37 | 25 | 4 | 20 | 24 | 47 | 73 |
| ROCE % | 29% | 23% | 23% | 20% | 20% | 18% | 21% | 26% | 30% | 29% | 30% | 34% |
Documents
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Company Information
Persistent Systems provides software engineering and strategy services to help companies implement and modernize their businesses. It has its own software and frameworks with pre-built integration and acceleration [1]. It also has partnership with providers such as Salesforce and AWS [2].